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He extended his hands and got a firm grip on Ned’s body. 

— Page 190 



THE BOY INVENTORS’ 
ELECTRIC 

HYDROAEROPLANE 


BY 

RICHARD BONNER 

AUTHOR OF “ THE BOY INVENTORS’ WIRELESS TRIUMPH,” ” THE BOY 
INVENTORS AND THE VANISHING GUN,” “THE BOY INVENTORS* 
DIVING TORPEDO BOAT,” “THE BOY INVENTORS* 

FLYING SHIP,” ETC., ETC. 


WITH ILLVSTRATIONS BY 
CHARLES i. WRENN 


NEW YORK 

HURST & COMPANY 


PUBLISHERS 


Copyright, 1914, 

BY 

HURST & COMPANY 


^ (XT' T TV) 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

PAGE 

I. 

A New Friend Made .... 

5 

II. 

An Invention Described . 

15 

III. 

An Important Decision . 

23 

IV. 

Ned to the Rescue . . . . 

33 

V. 

The Unlucky Story .... 

43 

VI. 

His Enemies on the Trail . 

54 

VII. 

Ned Makes an Enemy .... 

62 

VIII. 

The Plans Accepted . . . . 

71 

IX. 

The Arrival of Trouble . 

82 

X. 

Heiny Pumpernick Dill . 

91 

XI. 

The Convertible Sausage Ma- 



chine 

98 

XII. 

Hank and Miles Meet Their 



Match 

106 

XIII. 

Ready for Flight 

113 

XIV. 

Heiny Overhears the Plot . 

124 

XV. 

The Burglar Trap 

132 


3 


4 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 


PAGE 

XVL 

The Lost Lever . . . . 

. 150 

XVII. 

Off at Last ! 


XVIII. 

Ned’s Terrible Peril . 

. 169 

XIX. 

The Disgruntled Cronies 

. 179 

XX. 

Tom to the Rescue 

. 187 

XXL 

Saluting a Steamer . 

. 194 

XXII. 

An Old Friend 


XXIII. 

The Lost Plans . . . . 

. 211 

XXIV. 

A Baffling Robbery . 

. 220 

XXV. 

Off to the Fair . . . ,. 

. 227 

XXVI. 

An Unlucky Mishap . 

• 237 

XXVII. 

A Dash for Liberty . 

00 

XXVIII. 

A Dirigible in Danger 

. 258 

XXIX. 

A Daring Rescue . , . 

. 269 

XXX. 

A Strange Meeting . 

• 277 

XXXI. 

Ned Comes into his Own 

. 283 


The Boy Inventors’ Electric 
Hydroaeroplane. 


CHAPTER I. 

A NKW ERII:ND made:. 

“Are either Mr. Chadwick or Mr. Jesson 
about?'' 

“Humph !" and the gangling, rather disagree- 
able-looking youth who had answered the sum- 
mons to the door of the Boy Inventors' workshop, 
gave a supercilious look over the dusty and 
worn, although carefully mended, clothes of the 
dark-eyed, dark-haired, slender youth who con- 
fronted him. 

“What do you want to know that for, any- 
how?" and upon the personal pronoun he placed 
a contemptuous emphasis. 

“That is a question to which I can only reply 
5 


6 THi: BOY INTENTOES’ 

Avhen I can see either Jack Chadwick or Tom 
Jesson personally. My name is Ned Nevins, — 
not that either of them knows me, — but will you 
be so kind as to find out if they’ll see me?” 

“If you can’t tell me your business, you can’t 
see them. State what you want to me. If it’s 
money ” 

“It is not!” 

The dark-eyed young visitor’s eyes held a 
warning flash which the other lad, who was half 
a head taller and far stouter of build than Ned 
Nevins, affected not to notice. 

“Well, you can’t speak to them.” This with 
an air of finality. 

“But you don’t understand ” 

“I do, perfectly. They are both far too busy 
to bother with any inquisitive kind of tramp that 
happens along.” 

“Then you won’t let them know I would like 
to see them ?” 

The other’s voice rose angrily. 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 7 

said 'No' once. N-O-no/ Isn't that 
enough ?" 

"Quite enough." 

Ned Nevins turned away. As he did so, the 
other lad, an employee of the Boy Inventors, and 
a former school chum, noticed that he had under 
his arm a box which he appeared to handle with 
unusual care. But Sam Hinkley noted also Ned's 
dejected and downcast air. He decided to hu- 
miliate him still further. 

"Get a move on — you. Skip !" 

Ned hastened his pace. He felt too disap- 
pointed and tired to retort to the bully as he 
should have done. Sam Hinkley interpreted this 
as cowardice on Ned's part, and being a natural 
bully he decided to improve the occasion accord- 
ing to his own delight. He came up behind Ned 
and gave the slightly-built lad a strong shove. 

Ned faced 'round, and his pale face flushed an 
angry crimson. 


"Don't do that again, please !" 


8 


THE BOY INVENTORS’ 


Young Hinkley’s rejoinder was to make a rush 
at him. He extended both his hands to shove 
the visitor, whom he had found so unwelcome, off 
the premises. But the next instant he met with a 
setback. Still holding his precious box under 
one arm, Ned^s fingers closed on the bully’s 
wrists. They shut down with a grip like steel 
handcuffs. 

''Ow ! Ouch ! Leggo my hands,” roared Sam 
at the top of his voice. 

''From what I’ve heard of Jack Chadwick and 
Tom Jesson I don’t believe they would tolerate 
for an instant the way you have behaved toward 
me,” was the firm reply. "March !” 

"Where are we going?” inquired Sam, writh- 
ing painfully under the young stranger’s power- 
ful grip, unable to do anything, try as he would to 
shake it off. 

"Straight into that workshop. From what I 
can hear, I believe we will find those whom I wish 
to see in-side.” 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 9 

Sam looked very uncomfortable. He was the 
son of fairly well-to-do parents in the little town 
of Nestorville, on the outskirts of which Mr. 
Chadwick’s home was situated. Jack and Tom 
had taken him on because he was a youth who 
had always shown mechanical ability and had 
pleaded persistently for a chance to work in the 
big experimental shop at High Towers. 

But a fair trial of Sam Hinkley had not re- 
sulted in his rising in favor with his young em- 
ployers. He had been detected in several mean 
acts. Besides, they felt he was hardly a lad to 
be trusted with the important secrets of the work- 
shop, in which most of the inventions of the boys 
and their father and uncle were worked out. So 
that had Sam but known it, he was by no means 
so important a factor at High Towers as he 
imagined. 

'Xemmo go and Fll take you in,” howled Sam. 

''Very well. You might have done so in the 
first place.” 


10 THE BOY mVENTOES^ 

But no sooner were Sam’s hands released than 
he aimed a savage blow at young Nevins. 

'T’ll trim you for this, you — you scarecrow, 

you !” he bawled out ‘ITl fix you. I’ll ” 

''Here, here! What’s all the trouble about 
The question was asked by a tall, well-built 
youth with curly dark hair and sparkling, intelli- 
gent eyes, who had just appeared at the door of 
the workshop. 

"I — I wanted to find Mr. Chadwick, Jr.,” be- 
gan the newcomer, while Sam looked abashed. 

"Sure you weren’t looking for trouble ?” asked 
Jack, but a twinkle in his eyes belied the implied 
reproach in the question. He knew Sam Hinkley 
from the soles of his shoes up. Besides, he had 
witnessed the last part of the recent scene and 
realized how the land lay. 

"Go back on your job,” he ordered Sam 
brusquely, "those bolts must be ready by noon at 
the latest.” 

"Bu-bu-but ” began Sam, and then, read- 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 11 
mg what he saw in Jack’s eye aright, he obeyed, 
but not without a backward glance at Ned Nevins. 

'‘Why — why, you are Jack — I mean Mister 

9f ' 

“That’s all right,” was the smiling response, 
“I am Jack Chadwick. What did you wish to see 
me about?” 

“Principally about getting a job. I ” 

“I’m afraid there’s nothing here for you,” was 
the reply, as Jack glanced with interest at the in- 
telligent face that gazed so eagerly into his own, 
and then, as he saw the travel-stained lad’s coun- 
tenance fall he added, “You see this is an experi- 
mental shop mainly, and ” 

“I know. I’ve heard all about your inventions, 
the Sky-ship and the diving Torpedo Boat and 
so on. I love mechanics and I’m sure I could 
make good if you’d give me a chance.” 

“What is your name?” 

“Nevins is my name, sir.” 

“Ever had any experience along such lines ?” 


12 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

‘‘Yes, sir, my uncle was an inventor. He was 
poor and worked in a machine-shop, but when 
he was at home he and I used to spend all our 
time in a work-shop he had fitted up. You see 
my folks died a long time ago and I was brought 
up in my uncle's home. He said that some day 
Fd be famous if I worked hard and that I had a 

natural ability for mechanics and " 

Ned Nevins stopped short, flushed over what 
he felt had been a conceited speech. But Jack 
glanced at him encouragingly. The young in- 
ventor was quick to read character. He began to 
take an interest in this ragged visitor, who had 
dropped down out of the skies, so to speak. 

“But you are not living with your uncle now, 
Nevins?" 

“Oh, no. He was killed a month or more ago 
in an accident in the mills. My aunt didn't want 
me 'round the house ; no more did my cousin. So 
I packed up what I had; it wasn't much," with a 
rueful smile, “and — and " 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 13 

'"Set out to seek your fortune. So far, if you 
don’t mind my saying it, you don’t appear to have 
succeeded very well. And so you want a job. 
How have you been making your way ?” 

‘'Doing odd jobs for farmers and so on. I’m 
clever at repairing automobile machinery, and I 
earned a little that way. You see, my object was 
to make my way here, otherwise I might have got 
two or three jobs in garages or machine shops.” 

“Why were you so anxious to come here ?” de- 
manded Jack, beginning to feel an interest in this 
persistent youngster. 

“Because of a strange legacy my uncle left 
me.” 

“That’s an odd reason.” 

“I know it; but may I explain?” 

“Surely. Go ahead.” 

“Well, it was a legacy that he said would 
bring me fame and fortune some day. It may 
have been only an inventor’s dream. My poor 
uncle had many such, or it may not be all that 


14 THE BOY IXVEYTOKS^ 

he thought of it. There were many reasons why 
I couldn’t consult any one in my own town about 
it, and as I’d read of you and felt I could trust 
you and your advice, I sought you out. But if the 
invention, for that’s what the legacy was, is 
worth anything or not, I want a job.” 

''Come on inside, Nevins. You seem to have 
the right stuff in you. We’ll have a talk.” 

And with a wide-eyed youth behind him. Jack 
led the way into the workshop. Sam Hinkley 
viewed his young employer and the latter’s com- 
panion with marked disfavor from his work 
bench. 

"Wormed your way into the place already, 
have you?” he muttered. "I’ll keep my eye on 
you, young fellow, and don’t you forget it.” 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEEOPLANE 


15 


CHAPTER 11. 

AN INVENTION DESCRIBED. 

Ned Nevins had told nothing but the simple 
truth when he stated that he had endured many 
hardships and much rough travel under unpleas- 
ant conditions in order to obtain an interview 
with the Boy Inventors. 

He was a boy of singularly firm character and 
persistency or he would never have triumphed 
over the obstacles he had conquered in order to 
gain his ambition. When Ned’s uncle, Jeptha 
Nevins, had died, he had entrusted to the boy 
the tin box which we have seen Ned guarding 
with so much care. It contained plans and speci- 
fications of an invention upon which the elder 
Nevins had spent all his spare time for many 
years. 

Whether the invention was a practical one or 


16 THE BOY INVEHTOES’ 

not, Ned, skillful as he was in the line of me- 
chanics, did not know. But his uncle’s faith in 
the value of his invention was so great that he 
had inspired his nephew with almost implicit con- 
fidence in the soundness of his judgment. 

Ned might have stayed in his home town and 
awaited a more favorable opportunity for setting 
out on his travels' but for one thing. Jeptha Nev- 
ins had a son, a hulking ne’er-do-well sort of lad, 
or rather young man, for he was some years the 
senior of Ned, who was sixteen. 

Following his father’s death, '‘Hank” Nevins, 
as he was known among his cronies, made a big 
fuss when he learned that Ned had been left the 
plans of Jeptha Nevins’ invention. There was 
iittle else but the furniture in the house and a 
small sum of money in the savings bank; and so 
Hank Nevins laid formal claim to the plans of the 
invention from which Jeptha Nevins had hoped 
so much. 

But Ned refused absolutely to give them up to 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 17 
Hank. With almost his dying words, Jeptha Nev- 
ins had entrusted the plans to his nephew, for he 
had long since given up hopes of making any- 
thing out of Hank. In fact Ned knew that it had 
been his uncle’s wish that Hank should know 
nothing of the invention, but in some way the 
latter had discovered the fact of its existence, and 
he hoped, that by selling it, (provided it was in 
any way practical,) he might obtain some money 
which he could expend in dissipation. 

When he found that Ned was unwilling, or 
rather refused absolutely, to give up the plans, 
Hank had flung out of the house with all man- 
ner of threats, among them being that he would 
force his cousin to give up the coveted plans by 
process of law. Ned knew nothing of law and 
like many persons similarly situated, the idea of 
Hank’s resorting to lawyers to obtain possession 
of the plans alarmed him. Among Hank’s ac- 
quaintances was a young law clerk of ''sporty” 
proclivities. With the aid of this young limb of 


18 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

the law, Hank had succeeded in thoroughly 
alarming Ned as to the legality of his retention of 
the papers. Matters were constituted thus when 
Ned determined not to risk the possession of his 
uncle’s plans any longer but to leave the small 
cottage, where they all lived, and seek counsel and 
aid elsewhere than in his native village. 

From the first time he had read of them, the 
Boy Inventors had possessed a large place in 
Ned’s mind. In his extremity, therefore, he had 
decided to seek them out and try to interest them 
in the untried invention. 

^^Sit down,” said Jack, when the two boys were 
inside a small room at one end of the workshop 
which, for lack of a better word, was called the 
office. It was a very business-like looking room. 
Books on technical topics lined the shelves at one 
end of it. Models, samples of materials, test- 
tubes and other apparatus occupied most of the 
rest of the available space. 

Under the book shelves, however, was a desk. 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 19 
It was to one of the chairs standing beside this 
latter piece of furniture that Jack motioned his 
odd guest. 

Ned sank into the chair with an alacrity that 
made it plain that he was tired. He had, in fact, 
come some miles from his last stopping place that 
morning. 

^Tm sorry that you had that trouble with Sam 
Hinkley,'' began Jack in a kindly tone, ''he should 
have known better than to treat you as he did.'^ 

"Oh, that's all right," the other assured him 
hastily, "I'd have stood for a lot more than that 
in order to get a chance to see you and tell you 
what I've traveled a good way to say." 

• "You said you had an invention, I think." 

"Yes; but it is not, properly speaking, mine," 
and then Ned Nevins went on briefly to describe 
the circumstances by which he had come into pos- 
session of the plans in which both he and his uncle 
set so much store. But up to this point he had 


20 THE BOY INVENTOES' 

not mentioned the nature of the invention and 

Jack brought him to the point by a question. 

“And just what may this invention be?^’ 

Ned Nevins hesitated a few seconds before re- 
plying. 

“I hardly know just what to call it/’ he said, 
“but I guess an electric hydroaeroplane about de- 
scribes it.” 

Jack’s face betrayed his interest. 

“You mean a craft capable of air and water 
travel that is driven by electricity?” he asked. 

“That’s just it. But there are many novel 
features about it, however. My uncle set most 
store by one particular novelty in its construction, 
and that was the fact that it was driven by elec- 
tricity instead of gasolene. Gasolene is bulky, 
dangerous and heavy to carry, and sometimes 
hard to obtain, but by using an electric generator, 
worked while the machine is in motion, the Nev- 
ins hydroaeroplane, as my uncle called it, has 
plenty of cheap power always obtainable and is 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 21 
simpler than gasolene-driven motors in a number 
of ways/’ 

‘'But about your storage batteries — I suppose 
that’s the idea?” 

Ned Nevins nodded. 

"That’s just the point I was coming to,” he 
said; "one of the most notable features of the 
Nevins hydroaeroplane is the fact that its power 
is furnished by storage batteries many times 
lighter than any yet constructed, and capable of 
developing many times the power. But the plans 
will show you all that far better than I can ex- 
plain.” 

"I should like to see them.” 

Although he was interested and showed it, 
Jack Chadwick had seen far too many imprac- 
ticable inventions to wax enthusiastic over any 
scheme till he had examined into it for himself. 
But he knew that if young Nevins had what he 
said he had, he was in possession of a big thing. 

So it was with considerable expectancy that 


22 THE BOY INVENTOES’ 

he watched young Nevins fumble with the lock 
of the battered tin case. Finally he opened the 
receptacle and drew out a roll of papers. These 
proved to be blue prints, and closely penned writ- 
ings covering several foolscap sheets. 

Naturally, Jack’s attention was first directed to 
the blue prints that young Nevins eagerly spread 
out on the table before him. Accustomed as he 
was to such things, he read the intricate lines and 
tracings almost as plainly as print. 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 


23 


CHAPTER III. 

AN IMPORTANT DECISION. 

'‘Well, what do you think of it?'’ 

Ned asked the question with almost pitiful 
eagerness. His tone clearly betrayed how much 
the answer meant to him. 

‘T think that the idea appears feasible, but of 
course, I can't say anything definite yet," was 
Jack's rejoinder. ‘T will have to consult with 
my cousin, Tom Jesson " 

Ned nodded that he had heard of young Jes- 
son, who had had so much to do with the Boy In- 
ventors' work. 

“And after we have gone over the plans to- 
gether we can tell you just what we think of it. 
Suppose that the idea appears to be possible to 
work out, what would your plans be ?" 

“That we each take an equal chance in the 


24 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

profits that may come from it/’ replied Ned in 
quick, certain tones that showed he had thought 
the matter out all clearly in his own mind. 

'Well, that would come later. You would be 
clearly entitled to more than a third share, for 
the invention practically belongs to you.” 

"Yes, but I have no capital to put into its manu- 
facture. My idea was that you would build the 
craft, with me to help, for I know my uncle’s 
ideas in regard to the craft backward, almost.” 

Jack smiled. 

"I see you have every detail figured out.” 

"If you knew how much I have thought of it!” 
exclaimed Ned. 

"I can well imagine that. Well, Ned, I can 
promise you one thing — if the invention offers 
any possibility of success we will undertake it. 
We have nothing on hand just now and this is 
surely a big. idea you have brought us.” 

"I believe in it,” declared the boy fervently. 

"Well, that’s half the battle. Suppose you 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 25 
come and see us to-morrow morning. We will 
go over the plans to-night and see what we think 
of them. By the way, where are you staying 

'^Nowhere just at present. I came straight up 
here as soon as I arrived in Nestorville.^’ 

‘'You must have been eager to see us.’' 

“I was, indeed. I had traveled a good many 
miles to do so, as I explained.” 

“Well, Sam Hinkley’s father keeps a sort of 
hotel in Nestorville. It is cheaper than a regular 
first-class place but I think you will find it com- 
fortable.” 

“Anything will suit me. I shan’t sleep much 
to-night, anyhow,” replied Ned, taking no notice 
of the name that Jack had mentioned. 

“Don’t build too many hopes, Ned. I should 
hate to have to disappoint you.” 

The boys shook hands and parted. Jack 
watched the dusty figure of Ned Nevins as the 
boy wended his way down the hill. 

“There goes a boy with the right stuff in him,” 


26 THE BOY INVENTOES’ 

he said to himself. Although he was young in 
years, Jack Chadwick was ripe in experience, as 
those of our readers who have followed the ad- 
ventures of the Boy Inventors through the vari- 
ous volumes know. 

For the benefit of those who are making their 
first acquaintance with the two lads, we will brief- 
ly relate the careers of Jack Chadwick and Tom 
Jesson, his cousin, up to the time that we resume 
our friendship with them in the present book. 

Jack Chadwick’s father was the famous Pro- 
fessor Chadwick, whose various inventions had 
made him well-to-do, and who was known 
throughout the civilized world. The Chadwick 
method of steel reduction and the same inventor’s 
ingenious devices for rock boring and drilling 
came to the notice of the general public during 
the construction of the Panama Canal. But 
Professor Chadwick had to his credit a host of 
other inventions which, if not quite so well 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 27 
known to the world at large, none the less played 
a large part in the history of civilization. 

The Professor, whose wife had died soon after 
Jack’s birth and before fame came to him, had 
purchased the estate of High Towers, lying a 
short distance from the pretty little town of Nes- 
torville as a secluded place in which to carry on 
his researches. Not long after he had acquired it, 
Mr. Jasper Jesson, his brother-in-law and a well- 
known explorer and biologist, was reported miss- 
ing while on an expedition in the tropics. As Mr. 
Jesson was also a widower, the care of young 
Tom Jesson, the explorer’s only child, devolved 
upon Prof. Chadwick. 

Jack Chadwick and Tom Jesson had thus prac- 
tically grown up together and were more like 
brothers than cousins. As time went on, both lads 
developed a strong liking for pursuits similar to 
the Professor’s, and when still a young boy. Jack 
had invented a patent churn, which came into 
wide use, as well as improving many household 


28 


THE BOY INVENTORS’ 


devices. The Professor was delighted with the 
skill and adaptability of both boys, and aided 
them all he could in their chosen pursuits. They 
both took technical courses at a school in Bos- 
ton, not far from which city Nestorville was sit- 
uated. 

Aeronautics before long began to engage their 
attention to the exclusion of every other study. 
Professor Chadwick, too, was interested in this 
topic, which was developed at High Towers, to- 
gether with some experiments in an improved 
wireless plant. 

In the first volume of this series, ''The Boy 
Inventors’ Wireless Triumph,” we saw how the 
boys’ hard work bore fruit in an adventurous 
voyage to Yucatan. They participated in many 
thrilling adventures and dangerous experiences 
which culminated in the finding of Tom Jesson’s 
long missing father. 

The next volume showed the boys in a new 
held of endeavor. There is brotherhood among 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 20 
inventors, and when a friend of Mr. Chadwick’s, 
who was perplexed by problems connected with 
a new sort of gun, came to them they were glad to 
aid him in any way they could. 

This work involved them in a surprising series 
of experiences, not all of which were pleasant 
In fact, at times, every ounce of resource, cour- 
age and perseverance, which both lads possessed 
to a high degree, was called into requisition to 
bring them out of their difficulties. This volume 
was called “The Boy Inventors’ Vanishing Gun,” 
and related, in considerable detail, the final tri- 
umphant outcome of the trials and tribulations 
which had beset the youthful mechanics. 

In the third book dealing with our young 
friends, we found them essaying triumphs in a 
new element. This volume was called “The Boy 
Inventors’ Diving Torpedo Boat.” The boat was 
a masterpiece of mechanical construction and a 
long cruise the boys took in her under the surface 
of the waves provided a narrative of surpassing 


30 


THE BOY IXVEXTOKS’ 


interest and gripping power. By the aid of their 
submarine torpedo boat the boys were enabled to 
play an important part in succoring some be- 
leagured Americans, who were in peril of their 
lives at the hands of a band of bloodthirsty Cuban 
revolutionists. The boys were put to a hard test 
during this period of their lives, but after all, 
their experiences endowed them with increased 
self-reliance and manliness which was to prove 
of inestimable benefit to them later on, when these 
qualities brought them successfully through ad- 
ventures and trials more rigorous than any they 
had yet faced. 

A Flying Ship was their next craft and in her 
the boys ventured on a unique quest through 
the untrodden regions of the Upper Amazon. 
An odd German professor was their companion 
and mentor. This was Professor Bismarck Von 
Dinkelspeil, who was as kind-hearted as he was 
eccentric. Professor Von Dinkelspeil was in 
search of an extraordinary inhabitant of the re- 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 31 
mote Brazilian jungles. The boys met him in a 
strange way and were enabled to offer him much 
assistance. Dick Donovan, a lively young re- 
porter, and Captain Abe Sprowl, a rough-and- 
ready New England skipper, were others of their 
companions on what proved a unique cruise, the 
details of which were fully set forth in the vol- 
ume immediately preceding the present, which 
was called ''The Boy Inventors' Flying Ship." 

Naturally interested in aeronautics as they 
were then, the two lads went into "executive ses- 
sion" over the plans of Ned Nevins' electrical 
hydroaeroplane as soon as Tom Jesson returned 
from Boston, which was late that afternoon. He 
had gone to the city to order some materials 
needed in a new landing device the boys were 
working on. Far into the night the two boys 
pored over the plans, waxing more and more en- 
thusiastic as they progressed. 

"It seems to me that this craft is as practical 
and as possible to construct as an electric road- 


32 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

ster/’ declared Jack, as they concluded their 

labors. 

‘'To build, yes, but how about it working when 
it is built?'’ said Tom Jesson, who was less of an 
idealist than his enthusiastic cousin. 

“Are you willing to try it, Tom?" 

“I am. yes. How about you?" 

“Tm confident enough of success to risk some 
of the money we made out of that Yucatan treas- 
ure chest." 

“Then ITl contribute my share, too. .When 
do we start?" 

“Nothing to hinder us getting on the job right 
away. This is too big a thing to keep waiting. 
We’ll send for Ned Nevins first thing in the 
morning. If this invention turns out half as well 
as it looks, his legacy will make him famous as 
well as relieve him from want." 

Possibly, if the boys could have looked into the 
future, Jack would not have spoken so confident- 
ly. Troubles they never dreamed of lay ahead of 
them, and, at that, in the near future. 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 


33 


CHAPTER IV. 

N^D TO The rescue. 

In the meantime, Ned Nevins had retraced his 
steps to Nestorville. It was a pleasant little vil- 
lage, with neat, white houses lining its elm-bor- 
dered streets, each with its trim lawn and flower 
beds To the boy who had been wandering in the 
dusty roads so long, it appeared wonderfully 
homelike and pleasant, although his travel- 
stained garments looked doubly distasteful to him 
in the midst of so much neatness and unobtrusive 
prosperity. 

He passed the main hotel of the place and con- 
tinued down High Street till he came to a rather 
less pretentious-looking place, bearing over its 
door the name, ‘'The Hinkley House.^’ It was 
not until then that Ned suddenly recollected that 
Hinkley was the name by which Jack had re- 


34 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

ferred to the disagreeable youth up at the work- 
shop. 

"'Wonder if he's any relation?" thought Ned 
to himself as he ascended the steps and entered 
the office. 

A man with bristly red hair, and a not over- 
pleasant expression of countenance, stood behind 
the desk writing in a big book. 

"Well, boy?" he asked sharply, as Ned entered 
the place. "If you're selling anything we don't 
want nothing." 

And then he resumed his writing without tak- 
ing any more notice of Ned, who eyed him rather 
amusedly for a few seconds. Then he addressed 
him in a pleasant tone. 

"I should like to get a room here, please." 

"Humph !" the red-haired man looked up with 
a grunt rather suggestive of a certain barnyard 
animal. "A room, did you say ?" 

"Yes, sir. An inexpensive one. In fact, as 
cheap a one as you have." 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLAlSrE 35 

''Sure you can pay for it?'’ was the uncompro- 
mising reply. 

"I certainly can or I shouldn't have asked you 
for it," said Ned, with the same flash in his eyes 
as had come there when Sam Hinkley had ad- 
dressed him so rudely that morning. 

Apparently the landlord of the Hinkley House 
concluded that he had gone far enough, for in a 
more amiable tone he said: 

"I can let you have a good room for a dollar. 
Want your meals?" 

‘‘For to-day anyway," responded Ned, who had 
saved from his garage work along the road 
enough to make him feel sure of himself for a 
short time, anyhow. 

The business was soon concluded and Ned was 
at liberty to go up to his room. As soon as he 
was alone, he drew a chair to the window and sat 
there thinking deeply. Naturally his thoughts all 
reverted to one subject, and that was: what 
would be the verdict at High Towers? 


36 THE BOY mVENTOES’ 

‘Hf they only knew how much depended upon 
it/’ thought the boy to himself, and then his fancy 
roamed back to that final scene when he had 
looked on his uncle for the last time and had re- 
ceived what to him was almost a sacred trust. 
From this his thoughts turned to his ne’er-do-well 
cousin and the latter’s threats. His uncle had 
left no will and Ned was not quite certain in his 
own mind if he had any legal rights to the papers 
dealing with the electric hydroaeroplane. 

“If they were to find out where I had come, 
they might try to make it unpleasant for me,” he 
thought with a momentary qualm, but the next 
moment he put these thoughts aside, and when he 
descended to dinner he was in a cheerful, hopeful 
frame of mind. ' 

Mine host Hinkley’s meals were not of the sort 
that could be described as Lucullan, but they were 
solid, and Ned ate with the hearty appetite of a 
growing boy. After he had finished, he decided 
to saunter out and see what he could of the town. 


ELECTEIC HYDROAEEOPLANE 37 
It would at least help to pass away the time till 
the next day, upon which he felt his fate hung. 
For the life of him he could not have settled down 
to read or write till he knew definitely what the 
verdict upon his unique legacy was to be. 

In this frame of mind he wandered through the 
main street of the little town, which did not take 
very long, and soon found himself out upon the 
high road. The road was a pleasant winding one, 
and Ned walked on briskly, turning over in his 
mind, as he went, the many events that had re- 
cently transpired to work such a change in his 
career. He could not help an exultant leap of 
the heart as he thought of the possible outcome of 
a favorable opinion of the dead inventor’s great 
lifework. 

He was still revolving this thought in his mind 
when, on rounding a turn in the winding road, he 
came across a sight which temporarily put all 
other thoughts aside. 

Stalled in the center of the road was a fine- 


38 THE BOY HSTVENTORS’ 

looking automobile. Ned, who, as we know, 
knew a lot about cars, recognized it as a machine 
of expensive make and as an imported car. Bent 
over the engine was a man who appeared to be 
trying to adjust whatever was the matter with 
the motor. Standing about were two other men. 
As Ned came up, one of them turned to him. 

''Here, boy, do you know if there's a garage in 
Nestorville?" 

Now, Ned knew that there was not, for he had 
looked about for one, thinking that if his mission 
at High Towers failed, he might chance to get 
employment in such a place till he got money 
enough to find a better job. So he replied in the 
negative. 

The man, who wore auto goggles, and was big 
and broad, turned to his companion with a ges- 
ture of annoyance. 

"Too bad, Smithers," he said in a vexed tone, 
"if Elmer there can't fix that motor we’ll have to 


ELECTEIC HYDROAEEOPLANE 39 
leave the car here and telephone into Boston for 
another/' 

The chauffeur straightened up from his labors 
over the refractory motor. 

‘I'm afraid we’re stuck, sir," he said, “this car 
is a Dolores. If it was any American car now, I 
could " 

“Never mind that," interrupted the big man, 
with an impatient gesture. “I hired you as a 
competent chauffeur and now the first break- 
down we have " 

“If it was an American car," protested the 
man. “I don't understand these Dolores and 


“Maybe I can help you." 

It was Ned who spoke and the big man faced 
round on him in surprise. 

“You!" he exclaimed. “What do you know 
about cars?" 

“A little, sir." 

“Well, at any rate you can't know less than 


40 THE BOY INVENTOES’ 

Elmer/’ said the big man with a disgusted look 
at his chauffeur, who looked downcast and 
abashed. ‘'What do you want to do?” 

“See if I can get your car going for you. I’m 
interested in this sort of thing, you know.’* 

“Umph! don’t look as if you owned a car,” 
commented the man who had been addressed as 
“Smithers.” 

“That’ll do, Smithers,” spoke up the big man 
sharply. “Elmer owns that he’s up against it, so 
give the boy a chance to show what he can do.” 

In one garage where he had worked for a time 
the “big man of the place” had owned, as it so 
happened, a Dolores car. Therefore Ned was not 
at sea when, in the overalls he had borrowed from 
the chauffeur, he set to work on the stubborn 
motor. 

“Think you can fix it?” asked the big man, 
after Ned had requested the chauffeur to start 
the engine so that he could hear just what was 
the matter with it. 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 41 

'1 don't know," said Ned frankly. ‘Tt's miss- 
ing in two cylinders. Carburetor trouble, I 
think. The Dolores has a special make of car- 
buretor, you know, a very sensitive and compli- 
cated variety." 

‘'Go to it, kid," muttered the chauffeur. “If 
you can fix that mixed-up muss of springs and 
air-valves you're a wonder." 

“If you'll slow down the engine a while. I'll 
try," said Ned, determined to do his best. It was 
characteristic of him that he was as interested in 
this vagrant bit of roadside trouble that had come 
his way as he would have been in some problem 
directly concerning himself. As it so happened, 
however, the problem he was about to try to solve 
did concern him and, at that, in no very distant 
manner. 

Of this, however, he was not to become aware 
till later, and then in a manner which startled 
and rather alarmed him, considering the conse- 
quences it involved. But in blissful ignorance of 


42 THE BOY INVENTOES’ 

all this, Ned went to work, determined to do all 

in his power to convince the two rather sceptical 

autoists that he was not boasting when he had 

said he thought he could help them out of their 

difficulties. 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 


43 


CHAPTER V. 

THK UNLUCKY STORY. 

. ‘‘Once more— that’s it!” 

Ned suspended his labors for a moment and 
listened to the tune of the throbbing motor as the 
chauffeur started it up, following Ned’s adjust- 
ment of the carburetor. 

“It’s working better already,” declared the big 
man. “Boy, you’re a wizard.” 

Ned looked up smilingly. In the interest of the 
work, and the fascination he always felt in con- 
quering the whims of a stubborn bit of machin- 
ery, he had quite forgotten for the moment all 
his trials and perplexities. 

“I think I’m getting there all right,” he said 
confidently, “but it will take a little more time to 
fix it just right.” 


44: THE BOY INVENTORS^ 

‘'Ah ! You believe in doing things thoroughly, 
I see/^ 

“I do, sir. Whatever is worth doing is worth 
doing well.’’ 

“That’s a belief that will get you a long way in 
life, my boy,” said the big man. Ned hardly 
heard him, for the motor was once more roaring 
and pulsing. He tuned it up, listening to its ex- 
plosions as a skilled musician might hearken criti- 
cally to a piece of music. 

As he listened, he tightened up a connection 
here or loosened a valve there till the big six- 
cylindered motor was humming with the even 
pulsations of a sleeping baby. 

“You can shut her off,” said he, addressing the 
chauffeur, and then turning to the big man he 
added, “I think you’ll find no more trouble, sir.” 

“What ! You have adjusted it, my boy ?” 

“As well as I can, sir, and, without bragging, I 
guess you’ll find everything all right now.” 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 45 

‘‘How long will it remain so asked the scep- 
tical Smithers. 

'‘For several weeks, at any rate/' 

"You may take the wheel again, Elmer, and 
hustle us along. Y^oung man, that you're a me- 
chanic of no mean ability I could see by the way 
you went to work. What is your name?" 

"Ned Nevins, sir." 

"Live here?" 

"I do just now, but I come from Millville, 
N. Y." 

The big man looked surprised. 

"Are you any relation to Jeptha Nevins?" 

"His nephew, sir. Did you know him?" 

"Very well. I am Vaughn Kessler, the owner 
of the Kessler Mill. Your uncle was my fore- 
man for many years. He was one of the best 
men we ever had; I was very sorry to hear of his 
death. Is there anything I can do for you?" 

"No, thank you, sir, except " 

"Except what? Come, you'll pardon my say- 


4G 


THE BOY INYENTOBS’ 


ing so, but you don't look — well, very prosper- 
ous." 

“I am all right, thank you, sir, and have good 
prospects ahead of me," replied Ned. 'What I 
was going to ask you was not to mention my name 
in Millville or to say where you saw me if by 
any chance anyone should ask you." 

"But why? You are not under a cloud there 
surely, and if " 

"Oh, no sir! It is for quite another reason," 
said Ned earnestly. 

"Well, it shall be as you wish," said Mr. Kess- 
ler, regarding the boy with some curiosity, 
"though why in the world you should make the 
request puzzles me. Good-bye, my boy, and 
thank you." 

He held out his hand and took Ned's. The 
next minute the car that the boy had so cleverly 
placed back in running order moved swiftly off. 
As it receded along the road, Ned became con- 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 47 
scions that there was something in his hand. It 
had been left by Mr. Kessler. 

''It’s money!’' exclaimed the boy, unclasping 
his fist. ‘'Well, it won’t come amiss, although I 
wouldn’t have thought of charging him for that 
little job.” 

He unfolded the bill and then gave a little cry 
of astonishment. It was for twenty dollars, — 
a small fortune to Ned. 

“Well, I am in luck!” he exclaimed. “If only 
my fortunes have changed, as this seems to indi- 
cate, I’ll be lucky to-morrow as well, and that 
is the dearest wish of my heart.” 

It was well for Ned’s peace of mind that he 
did not know that Mr. Kessler, while fully in- 
tending to keep his promise of not mentioning 
Ned’s name or address at' home in Millville, un- 
consciously let the cat out of the bag when he 
arrived at Lowell, Mass., his destination. His 
important interests, and those of his traveling 
companion, Mr. Smithers, made him a big man 


48 


THE BOY INYEYTORS’ 


there and the late arrival of his automobile, 
which kept a momentous meeting waiting, called 
for explanations. To the newspaper men of 
Lowell, Mr. Kessler told how he had been aided 
by a shabbily clothed boy on a country road when 
a trained chauffeur had failed to adjust his car. 
It made an interesting story, and was telegraphed 
over the country by a correspondent of a news 
association. In due course it appeared in the 
Millville papers under this heading: 

MILLVILLE MAGNATE AIDED 
BY A LAD FROM THIS CITY. 

Vaughn Kessler’s Stalled Auto Started 
By Ned Nevins, Motor Genius. 

The article beneath these headlines described 
the whole incident briefly, and stated that Ned 
was at present residing in the village of Nestor- 
ville, Mass. With but few exceptions, the fact 
that Mr. Kessler was concerned in the story was 
the chief feature of interest to readers of the 
article. 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 49 

One individual in Millville read it with burn- 
ing eyes. This was Hank Nevins, Ned’s cousin. 
Following Ned’s disappearance, he had used 
every means in his power to locate the boy. For 
this he had a good reason. Not alone did he want 
to recover the plans and designs of the electric 
hydroaeroplane, but he was prepared to offer a 
price for them. 

While Ned had been making his preparations 
to depart quietly from home. Hank, on the advice 
of his lawyer friend, had visited the head of an 
aeroplane manufacturing concern who happened 
to be visiting Millville. Hank had laid before 
the stranger as full a description as he could of 
his father’s invention. He left out many impor- 
tant points but the stranger was quick to see pos- 
sibilities in the idea and offered Hank a substan- 
tial sum if he would bring him the plans. 

The' offer aroused all of Hank’s cupidity. He 
saw a way, as he thought, to a life of elegant 
leisure. Only one stumbling block interposed it- 


oO THE BOY INVENTORS^ 

self, and that was a seemingly insurmountable 

one. 

Ned had vanished, and with him the papers 
that would have meant money to Hank. On the 
advice of his legal friend, Hank had advertised 
for Ned in the personal columns of half a dozen 
newspapers. But none of the carefully worded 
appeals to the boy to reveal himself had borne 
fruit. Hank was obliged to confess to Mr. Mel- 
ville of the Blue Sky Aeroplane Company that he 
would be delayed in producing the plans, not ad- 
mitting that it would be extremely unlikely that 
he could ever get possession of them at all. 

'Well, any time you have them bring them to 
me,'' said Mr. Melville before he left Millville. 
"And my offer will hold good." 

Hank's thoughts were not very pleasant ones 
as he left the aeroplane man's presence. 

"The young blackguard, to run off like that," 
he grumbled. "Those plans mean dollars and 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 51 
cents now. How can I get them? If I could lo- 
cate that runaway brat, Fd soon find a way.’^ 

And now, through that unfortunate article in 
the Millville Clarion, Ned Nevins' hiding place 
had been revealed to the last person on earth 
Ned would have wished to have known of it. 

^ That night, as soon as his work was done. 
Hank sought out his budding lawyer friend. The 
law, like all other professions, has its black sheep. 
Hank's friend bade fair to become one of these 
when he should ultimately be admitted to prac- 
tice, which was his ambition. His eyes glistened 
when he heard of Hank's discovery. 

'Tf only we could get those papers," muttered 
Hank, as the two sat together that night. 'We'd 
both have money to burn. Miles." 

Miles Sharkey was the name of Hank's 
crony, and the latter part of his appellation suited 
him from the ground up. In his projecting yel- 
low teeth and undershot jaw, as well as in his 
fishy, shifting eyes, there was something sugges- 


52 


THE BOY INVENTORS’ 


tive of the rapaciousness and treachery of a 
shark. 

'1 think I can find a way to make him give 
them up, Hank,’’ said Miles, after some moments 
spent in deep thought, ''but it may take a little 
time to work out the details. Have you any idea 
what he can be doing in this Nestorville place?” 

"Not on the first guess. Just a crazy notion of 
his, I reckon. But what’s your plan. Miles.” 

"I’ll have to think out the details,” rejoined the 
redoubtable limb of the law, rubbing his tallowy 
hands together. "But I think we’ll be able to 
make Cousin Ned disgorge before very long — 
for a consideration.” 

"On the day I get my money, you get yours,” 
Hank assured him. 

"Consider it settled then,” said Miles. "I’d 
have to be a pretty poor lawyer if I couldn’t think 
of a way.” 

"I — I’m not particular about law,” blustered 
Hank, "anything to get those plans. He’s only 


ELECTEIC HYDKOAEROPLANE 


53 


a kid, and once weVe got 'em he can't do any- 
thing." 

''It's a great pity you didn't get hold of them 
before he skipped out," said the worthy Miles. 
"Anyhow, it's all right. I'm smart enough to at- 
tend to that." 

"Miles, you're a true friend." And as they 
parted. Hank clasped his companion's claw-like 
hand with a fervor worthy of being bestowed on 
a better man. 


54 


THE BOY INYENTOES’ 


CHAPTER 

HIS ENEMIES ON THE TRAIL. 

Ned Nevins walked back to the hotel with his 
brain in a whirl. In the first place, the twenty- 
dollar bill which he fondly fingered as it lay in 
his pocket, provided a stop-gap between want and 
what he hardly dared to consider, and that was, 
a refusal on the part of the Boy Inventors to have 
anything to do with his cherished plans. 

In the second place, his encounter with Vaughn 
Kessler was a dubious source of satisfaction to 
him. From one point of view it had, of course, 
its pleasing side, but somehow, Ned could not 
free himself of an uneasy feeling that in some 
way the news of his whereabouts would get back 
to Millville. In what a devious way this was to 
happen he had, of course, no conception, and it 
was just as well for his peace of mind that he 
had not. 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 55 

He arrived at the hotel a little time before sup- 
per, and having cleaned himself up as well as 
possible, and carefully brushed his hair and his 
garments, he descended to the porch and sank 
down into the most comfortable chair he could 
find, one commanding a good view of the street. 

A boy came along with papers, and feeling that 
with his twenty-dollar bill snugly tucked in his 
pocket he could afford to indulge in a few lux- 
uries, Ned bought two papers, one a local sheet, 
the other a Boston daily. He looked through the 
latter first and as his eye traveled down the col- 
umns it was caught by the Personal Column. 

In this section of the paper were published no- 
tices to missing relatives and so forth. The type 
used was large and heavy and calculated to catch 
the eye. 

What was Ned's astonishment to suddenly spy 
his own name at the head of a notice two or three 
paragraphs from the top of the list. He stared 


56 THE BOY INVENTOES’ 

at it in some wonder for a minute before he read 

the notice itself. 

^‘Why, who can be advertising for me?’’ he 
thought, and with the thought came an uncom- 
fortable sensation at the recollection of the legal 
processes with which his cousin had threatened 
him. 

'T\\ read the notice, that’s the best way of solv- 
ing the puzzle,” reflected the boy. Casting his 
eye over the paragraph, he read as follows : 

‘'Ned Nevins : It will be to your advantage to 
communicate at once with your cousin at Mill- 
ville, N. Y. Big opportunity. — H. Nevins.” 

“That’s Hank! what sort of a trick is he up to 
now?” wondered Ned. “To ‘my advantage,’” 
he musingly went on. “I’d like to know what 
there is to ‘my advantage’ that Hank would be 
likely to take the trouble and expense to adver- 
tise about. ‘Big opportunity’ — yes, a ‘big oppor- 
tunity’ to get his hands on those papers. The 
idea of his thinking that I’d be softy enough to 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 57 
answer such an ^adM No, indeed, you’ll never 
locate me in that way. I’m glad I asked Mr. 
Kessler to say nothing about having seen me. 
Hank is working harder than I thought possible 
for him to locate me, but he won’t do it if I can 
help it.” 

Which shows that Ned, like most of the rest of 
us, placed undue confidence in his own ability to 
avoid unpleasantness. We already know how 
Fate was at work to over-reach him, playing with 
what appeared to be malignant favoritism, into 
the hands of those who wished him harm. 

He was roused from his reverie by the sound 
of a quick step behind him, and then a hand was 
placed none too gently on his shoulder. 

'It’s that fresh kid again!” exclaimed a grat- 
ing, unpleasant voice. "Get up out of that chair 
instantly — do you hear me ?” 

"It’s Sam Hinkley !” exclaimed Ned to himself, 
without, however, looking around. Aloud he de- 
manded : 


58 


THE BOY IISrVENTOKS’ 


*'Well, what do you want?” 

‘^That chair.” 

^'Unfortunately it is, as you see, occupied.” 

"I wish it at once !” 

"You do?” 

"Yes!” 

"You have a cool way of asking for it. Sup- 
pose I don't give it to you?” 

"You'll be made to!” 

"Who'll make me?” 

"I will, I guess. You don't know who I am?” 

"Oh, yes, I do. Your name is Sam Hinkley. 
I had a little argument with you this morning 
in which you came out second best, I fancy.” 

"I'll teach you a lesson, you tramp. Are you 
going to get up ?” 

"When the supper bell rings, I mean to.” 

"Not till then?” 

"No thanks, I'm very comfortable where I 
am.” 

"That's my chair.” 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 59 

‘Hndeed, I thought it was one of those placed 
out here for the benefit of the guests/' 

“So it is." 

“Well, I happen to be one." 

This answer took the blustering Sam rather 
aback. He thought that Ned had sought a chance 
to rest himself at the expense of the hotel's hos- 
pitality. But it suited his purpose to appear in- 
credulous. 

“They don't take in vagabonds here." 

It was more than flesh and blood could stand. 
Ned was about to leap to his feet when he was 
spared that trouble by the chair being yanked 
from under him, and he fell sprawling on the 
floor of the porch. 

“Haw ! haw ! haw !" bawled Sam, in high good 
humor at seeing Ned in such an undignified posi- 
tion. 

“Ho! ho! ho!" echoed half a dozen of Sam's 
cronies, who had been passing with him whetj 
he had spied Ned, to whom Sam had taken an 


60 THE BOY INVENTOES’ 

instinctive dislike. The '"gang’’ had been invited 
by Sam to see the 'Tun.’' If it had not been on 
the porch of his father’s hotel that Sam encoun- 
tered Ned, he would have hesitated to try issues 
with him, for his experience of the jnorning had 
shown him that Ned, slender and rather delicate- 
looking as he was, was a foeman by no means to 
be despised. But on home grounds he felt safe. 

He was rather taken aback, therefore, when 
Ned scrambled to his feet and advanced toward 
him instead of retreating, as the bully had ex- 
pected Ned would do. There was a fire akindle 
in Ned’s eyes that Sam by no means liked, for 
he was at heart a coward, although accustomed 
to lording it over other boys of his own age not 
a little. 

But with the eyes of his cronies fixed upon him 
expectantly, he felt that he could not retreat. 

"What do you want ?” he asked, in a voice that 
he tried to make belligerent, but which, somehow. 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEEOPLANE 61 
did not hold quite the warlike note he would have 
liked. 

'‘I want to give you something you need bad- 
ly/^ said Ned, without raising his voice, but there 
still glowed that same dangerous light in his eyes. 

“Are you ready?” 

“Rer-ready for what?” demanded Sam, in vain 
trying to look unimpressed by this quiet, busi- 
ness-like lad with the steady voice. 

“For what I fancy is to be your first lesson in 
manners.” 


62 


THE BOY INVEOTORS’ 


CHAPTER VII. 

NKD MAKES AN ENEMY. 

A wavering look of indecision crept into Sam 
Hinkley’s pug-nosed countenance. He would 
have liked to have the last few moments over 
again. He felt that he would have acted differ- 
ently. But he tried to brazen it out. 

“You strolling vagabond from goodness knows 
where, take that!’^ 

It was a vicious blow, with plenty of force be- 
hind it, for Sam, although a bully and not pos- 
sessed of an overabundance of courage, was still 
wiry and well muscled. But to his surprise his 
blow did not land. It should have collided with 
Ned’s chin, but when its force was expended, Ned 
was not there. 

He had stepped neatly aside and allowed Sam 
to launch his thunderbolt harmlessly. Sam’s 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEKOPLANE 63 
friends, grouped beneath the veranda on the 
sidewalk, closed into a compact little crowd. 
Plainly Sam was not going to carry all before 
him as had been his habit hitherto. His cronies 
saw this at once and some of them inwardly re- 
joiced. 

The office of the little hotel was deserted, and 
nobody interfered. Sam gathered himself to- 
gether to renew the combat. His brow grew 
black. Ned stood waiting. He made no attempt 
to defend himself. He merely eyed Sam Hink- 
ley with a look of contempt that maddened that 
pugnacious bully. 

Sam eyed his opponent viciously. 

‘Well?’’ queried Ned. 

''Thought you were going to fight!’’ roared 
Sam. 

"As I told you before, I’m nor a fighter.” 

Sam rashly interpreted this as being a sign of 
weakness. He rushed in once more, swinging 
his big fists with more vigor than science. Once 


64 


THE BOY lYYEYTOES’ 


more Will-o’-the-Wisp Ned was not where he 
ought to have been, and Sam, carried off his feet 
by the vigor of his unopposed onslaught, collided 
with a chair, tripped, and fell headlong on the 
floor to the porch. 

This time the laugh that went up was not at 
Ned’s expense. The boy stood in the same quiet 
attitude while Sam, his face crimson with anger 
and mortification, gathered himself up. 

“This ain’t fighting !” he bellowed angrily. 

“You can call it anything you like — an acro- 
batic performance if you wish,” rejoined Ned, 
without raising his voice or changing his posi- 
tion. 

Now there is nothing more irritating than to 
lose your temper and to make an exhibition of 
yourself, while the one your rage is directed at 
stands as steady and unmoved as a rock, hardly 
deigning to reply to either threats or onslaughts. 

Sam was almost beside himself with rage as, 
with blazing eyes, he made another dash at Ned. 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 65 
This time Ned did not step aside. He ducked 
under Sam’s terrific left, and coming up, struck 
the bully a blow in the ribs that caused that 
worthy to emit a sound resembling: 

^^Oofr 

Ned took advantage of the momentary pause 
in hostilities to speak. 

‘Xook here, Hinkley,” said he. 'Tm not a ruf- 
fian, and I don’t like fighting. We’ll call this off 
right here and now, if you say so. I’m willing — 
what do you say?” 

‘'That I’m going to give you the licking of your 
life!” roared out the enraged Sam. 

Again he rushed in, his arms working like twin 
piston rods. This time Ned did not avoid the 
other’s rush. There was a rapid exchange of 
blows, and then suddenly — so suddenly that no- 
body saw just how it had happened, Sam Hink- 
ley’s head was jerked back. 

Whack! Ned had taken advantage of a frac- 
tion of a second when the other was off his guard 


66 


THE BOY INVENTOES’ 


and landed a stinging blow full on Sam's pug 
nose. With a roar of anger Sam rushed in to 
retaliate. This time Ned was not quite quick 
enough. He stepped sideways to avoid the other's 
onrush, but his foot slipped, and before he could 
recover his balance a heavy blow from Sam's 
ponderous fist sent him spinning across the porch. 

Sam's adherents in the crowd watching the two 
lads set up a shout of delight. A broad grin over- 
spread Sam's face. 

‘'Guess that finishes the lesson," he jeered. 

“On the contrary it's only just begun," retali- 
ated Ned, and before Sam knew just what had 
happened, two smart blows had rattled against 
his ribs, the force of them making his teeth chat- 
ter as if with the cold. 

But Sam speedily recovered himself, and for 
the next few minutes it was give and take, with 
the odds rather against Ned, who was lighter of 
build than the bully, and who was constantly 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 67 
forced back by the latter's rashes. Sam began 
to think it was all over. 

^Well, Mr. Manners' Teacher, how about you 
now?" he sneered tauntingly. 

Ned did not reply, but he watched Sam like a 
cat. He saw that the bully was beginning to wear 
out under the fast work of the last few minutes. 
His chest was heaving and his breath came pant- 
ingly. He guessed that Sam would have been 
glad to have called ‘"quits" then and there. 

But while Ned might have been willing enough 
not to fight at the beginning of the battle, his 
blood was up now, and he was determined to see 
the thing through. He despised fighting as be- 
ing ruffianly and unnecessary, but, in a case like 
the present, he felt that if he allowed Sam Hink- 
ley to walk over him, the latter would make it 
next to impossible for him to remain in Nestor- 
ville. 

He avoided another of Sam's bull-like rushes 
with an agile step backward. As Sam's blow 


68 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

missed, Ned could hear him give a loud grunt, a 

sound that told he was tiring. 

'T'm wearing him down,’’ thought Ned, and 
watched carefully for an opening that might af- 
ford him a chance of terminating the battle. 

Sam ''rushed” Ned again.- This time he, too, 
appeared to be desirous of ending the fight by 
a blow that would take all the fight out of his 
lightly built opponent. But his blow landed on 
thin air. 

Ned’s opportunity had come. His fist shot out 
like a streak of lightning. It struck Sam under 
the chin, lifting him off his feet. He toppled and 
fell backward, landing among the chairs with a 
crash that sounded like a cook-stove falling 
downstairs. 

"That settles him!” cried some of the crowd 
of boys that had gathered, and "settle” Sam it 
did, in more senses than one, for, aroused by the 
crash of his fall, the bully’s father issued from 





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ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 69 
the hotel and seizing his offspring by the scruff 
of the neck, angrily bade him get inside. 

“It wasn't altogether his fault," explained Ned. 
“I had his chair, you see, and " 

“That'll do, young feller," said the elder Hink- 
ley brusquely, “that's not the first time it's hap- 
pened. Sam had a licking coming to him and he 
got it. I ain't got nothing to say, 'cepting that 
supper's ready when you are." 

And in this eventful manner ended Ned's first 
day in Nestorville. It had surely been an event- 
ful one, thought the boy, as he reviewed the vari- 
ous experiences of the last twelve hours before 
turning into bed. 

He was just about to turn out the light when 
his attention was attracted to the door-sill. Some- 
thing white was being shoved under the door into 
the room. It was a folded bit of paper. 

Ned sprang forward and picked it up. It was, 
as he had guessed, a note. He opened it, and as 
he perused its contents, a smile of good-natured 


70 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

contempt came over his face. This is what he 
read : 

''You think you are smart, but you ain't 
through with me yet. Til fix you and when I do 
ril fix you good. S. Hinkley." 

"Too bad," said Ned to himself, as he finished 
reading. 'Tve not so many friends that I want 
to make any enemies. But after all, the quarrel 
was not of my making and I don't intend to allow 
Sam Hinkley's threats to worry me." 


ELECTKIC HYDKOAEROPLANE 


71 


CHAPTER VIIL 

TKt PI.ANS accepted. 

Ned presented himself at High Towers be- 
times the next morning. He found Jack Chad- 
wick and Tom Jesson awaiting him at the work- 
shop. Mr. Chadwick was in New York attend- 
ing to some business connected with his interests. 
Mr. Jesson was in Boston delivering a series of 
biological lectures, so that the boys had the place 
to themselves. 

The eagerness of Ned to know the verdict of 
the two Boy Inventors must have shown itself 
very plainly on his face, for almost as soon as he 
had been introduced to Tom Jesson, Jack has- 
tened to relieve the lad's anxiety. 

‘T suppose you want to know if it's good news 
or bad?" asked Jack. 

'I've hardly slept all night thinking of it." 


THE BOY INVENTOES^ 


n 

‘'Then I have something to tell you that you 
will be glad to hear. We will help you manufac- 
ture the craft your uncle designed and ’’ 

Ned’s glad outburst of thanks checked him for 
a moment, but Jack went on to explain that he 
and his cousin would take only one-quarter in- 
terest in the craft, leaving the remainder free and 
clear to Ned. The cost of manufacturing would 
be borne by the Boy Inventors and the patents, 
when the machine was completed, would rest in 
Ned’s name. 

“Is that satisfactory?” asked Jack when he had 
finished. 

“Satisfactory !” burst out Ned. “It’s generous 
— too generous !” 

“Not at all. So far as money is concerned, 
when you know more about us, you will know 
that Tom and I have plenty, most of it realized 
from our inventions.” 


“I know but ” 

“Hold on a minute. Here we are, just dying 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 73 
for a chance to get to work on something really 
new and neither of us with brains enough to 
think up anything. You come along with just 
what we are looking for and we feel more like 
thanking you than considering we are doing any- 
thing wonderful.’" 

‘"Besides,” added Tom, “even one-quarter in- 
terest in the electric hydroaeroplane ought to 
yield a handsome profit.” 

“If, and it’s a big Tf,’ ” said Ned with a laugh, 

“we can get it to work. If not ” 

“We wouldn’t tackle it if we didn’t think it was 
practicable,” said Jack decisively. “So that ends 
that. Now come along, Ned, and be initiated into 
the mysteries of the firm, for you know, you are 
now a working partner.” 

“Say, fellows !” burst out Ned enthusiastically. 

“I don’t know how to thank you ” 

“That’s all right. You help us out on building 
the machine and that will be thanks enough. 
When we’ve got it working, we’ll shine in your 


74 THE BOY HSTYENTOES' 

reflected glory and that will be satisfaction 
enough for us/^ 

The next hour was one of unmixed delight for 
Ned, interested, nay wrapped up in mechanics as 
he was. He had never seen a workshop fitted up 
on such a scale as that of Jack Chadwick and Tom 
Jesson, — a private workshop, that is. Lathes and 
all sorts of machinery of the latest pattern were 
driven by a powerful gasolene engine. Facilities 
were at hand for making the parts of many of the 
boys^ devices. Three skilled machinists were also 
employed, and summoning them about him, Jack 
Chadwick briefly outlined to the interested men 
the big task they were about to undertake. 

He was in the midst of his explanations, when 
Sam Hinkley strolled in. Jack looked at him 
sharply. One of his eyes was swollen and slight- 
ly discolored. He glared at Ned savagely and 
the look was not lost on Jack Chadwick. 

As soon as he had an opportunity, Sam drew 
Jack aside and demanded, in an indignant and 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 75 
aggrieved voice, to know if Ned Nevins was to 
work in the shop. 

“Yes, and on a partnership basis, too,’' said 
Jack enthusiastically. “He has been the means of 
introducing us to a wonderful invention. We are 
going to start in on the work of its construction 
right away.” 

Sam did not appear interested in this informa- 
tion except that a jealous look crept into his eyes. 

“I think you ought to know that heV nothing 
but a rowdy,” he said. “I’ll bet any invention 
he’s been telling you about is a fake.” 

“The plans look good to us,” responded Jack, 
“and we are going to risk it. What have you got 
against the boy, anyhow?” 

' “He’s a rowdy,” repeated Sam. “He blacked 
my eye last night.” 

Jack, who had a pretty good insight into Sam’s 
character, could not repress a smile. 

“I thought you were invincible, Sam.” 

“He didn’t fight fair. He forced me into a 


76 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

row/’ grumbled Sam. could have licked him 

all right if ” 

“What had you been doing, Sam?” 

“Nothing. He took my chair away and when 
I wanted it back he said I’d have to fight for it 
and ” 

“And you did,” commented Jack with a dry 
smile. “Well, Sam, my advice is to forget it. If 
you think you’ve been injured I’m sorr^but Ned 
Nevins appears to me to be an inoffensive sort of 
a lad, quiet and unassuming.’" 

“Oh, he just puts on that to fool you,” muttered 
Sam. 

At this juncture. Jack was called away by one 
of the machinists and Sam, with a very bad grace, 
turned to some unfinished work at his lathe. He 
was still engaged at this when Ned happened to 
pass by. 

“I got your note last night, Hinkley,” he said. 
“Why didn’t you give it to me in person instead 
of slipping it under the door?” 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 77 

Sam made a sound resembling “G-r-r-r-r-r"’ 
and went on with what he was doing. 

''As I suppose you know/’ resumed Ned, "we 
shall see a good deal of each other in the future. 
Why can’t we be friends?” 

Sam’s face contorted with rage as he dropped 
the tool he had been using and faced round on 
Ned. 

"Because I hate you, that’s why. You’re noth- 
ing but an interloper and a faker and Jack 
Chadwick will find it out before very long.” 

"I’m sorry you think that, Sam.” 

"Why?” asked Sam, surprised at the other’s 
calm, even tone. His outburst appeared to have 
no effect whatever upon the lad he had desired to 
impress with his enmity. 

"Because I am afraid you are going to be dis- 
appointed,” and with these words Ned passed on. 

The. next few weeks were busy ones about the 
workshop of the Boy Inventors, but gradually, 
almost imperceptibly, the electric hydroaero- 


7a 


THE BOY INTENTOBS’ 


plane began to take shape. The enthusiasm of 
the boys infected the workmen and even Sam 
Hinkley appeared to work with more than usual 
fervor. 

Briefly described, the hydroaeroplane portion 
of the craft consisted of two twin boats, each 
about forty feet in length and constructed of a 
special aluminum alloy jointed together by strong 
vanadium connections. Between the pair of 
boats, which will be more fully described later, 
the storage tanks, which were the novel feature 
of the Jeptha Nevins craft, were placed. 

In the center of each of the boats was a small 
raised cabin, the cabins being connected by a 
hollow passageway. At either end of the craft 
the wings, of biplane pattern, were attached. 
The wing spread was ninety-five feet which, with 
the craft’s electric engines of enormous power, 
gave the giant air-craft a lifting capacity of two 
thousand pounds. 

Above the storage batteries, and between the 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 79 
twin ^‘boats/^ were the motors, each coupled to 
two sets of propellers placed fore and aft on 
either end of the craft and outside of the wings. 
A light, but strong, framework supported the 
outer bearings of the propellers and served to 
give them sufficient projection to insure balance. 
The forward set of propellers were so 
as to pull the craft through the air, while the after 
ones furnished a driving impulse. 

One of the most important features of the in- 
vention was the device by which electricity was 
made while she was in flight or skimming over 
the water. This was a generator of considerable 
power geared to the shafts of the propellers. As 
the craft drove along, the storage batteries were 
constantly recharged by this device. For the 
initial, or starting ''charge’' the batteries were 
furnished with "juice” by a small compressed air- 
driven generator which could also be used in case 
of accident to the automatically driven device. 
Thus the necessity of gasolene was done away 


80 


THE BOY INVEYTOES’ 


with and the Nevins craft was equipped, so far 
as power was concerned, to cross the Atlantic 
Ocean. But, of course, no such project entered 
into the minds of her young constructors. 

The planes themselves were covered with 
sheets of aluminum attached to frames -of radio- 
lite, a metal as light as aluminum and of great 
tensile strength. Landing wheels, supported by 
powerful shock absorbers, provided for alighting, 
and special balancing devices, attached to the 
bow and to the stern of the novel craft, mini- 
mized the danger of coming to earth with too 
great a shock to the weighty fabric. 

On the top of each cabin was a powerful 
search-light, and each was fitted out with two 
bunks and other conveniences as in the stateroom 
of an ocean liner. The pilot house was mounted 
above the covered passage, or tube, already re- 
ferred to, which connected the two parts of the 
craft. It contained a wheel not unlike that of an 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEEOPLAlSrE 81 
ocean liner and levers to control the balancing 
wings and the pitch of the planes. 

As for the engine-controls, the motor being 
electrically driven, the machinery to control it 
w^as wonderfully simple. An apparatus not un- 
like a switchboard, as may be seen in any power- 
house, was mounted within convenient reach of 
the helmsman. The light controls also were af- 
fixed to this board. Mastery of the huge craft 
was within instant power of the driver. A sig- 
naling system to each cabin, in case of emergency, 
was another feature added to the general com- 
pleteness of the equipment. 

Such is a brief description of the Nevins elec- 
tric hydroaeroplane, a craft in which the Boy 
Inventors were destined to meet as strange ad- 
ventures as had ever fallen to their lot. 


THE BOY INVENTOES^ 


CHAPTER IX. 
the; arrival oe' trouble;. 

It would be tedious to dwell upon the details of 
the construction of the craft which the boys, by 
unanimous vote, had decided to call the Electric 
Monarch. The work went steadily on and Prof. 
Chadwick, who had returned soon after the boys 
started work, rendered them valuable assistance. 
The previous experience with aerial craft, which 
the Boy Inventors had had, made the work pro- 
gress far more rapidly than would otherwise have 
been the case, although the plans and drawings 
left by Jeptha Nevins were so detailed and exact 
that they encountered but few very knotty prob- 
lems. 

One day, not very long before the Electric 
Monarch, which had been finished in scarlet and 
silver, was ready for her trial trip, two strangers 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 83 
appeared at the Hinkley House. One was a 
broad-shouldered, clumsy-looking young 'man 
with a shock of black hair and carelessly brushed 
clothes, the other a tall, cadaverous-looking per- 
son of about the same age with shifty, rat-like 
eyes and a general air of furtive watchfulness. 

Some time before this event, Ned, as an active 
partner in the firm of the Boy Inventors, had 
taken up his residence at High Towers. There 
were two reasons for this. One was that it was 
far more convenient to the work which was being 
rushed to completion, the other that as the Elec- 
tric Monarch neared the day for her trial trip, 
Ned grew more and more nervous about leaving 
the craft unwatched. 

Accordingly, he had a small cot fixed up in the 
corner of the workshop where he slept at night. 
Ned himself would have been at a loss to account 
for this nervousness ; nevertheless he felt a vague 
mistrust. It was not that he feared any harm 
Sam Hinkley might do to the craft, for although 


84 THE BOY INVEYTOES’ 

there was no love lost toward Ned on Sam's part, 
Ned was pretty sure that the Hinkley boy would 
not dare take active reprisals. But yet he felt 
that it was well to observe caution. 

Sam came and went to his work as usual, and 
as he, as well as the other workmen, had given 
their words not to let anything leak out about the 
Electric Monarch till she was ready for a flight, 
no uneasiness was felt about this circumstance. 

As a matter of fact, even if it had been known 
that a big air craft was being constructed at 
High Towers, it would not have excited much 
comment in the village. The inhabitants of Nes- 
torville had grown too used to hearing about 
strange inventions being built at the big house 
on the hill to feel any undue curiosity about them. 
And yet, Ned vaguely felt that danger threat- 
ened. 

The two strangers gave out at the Hinkley 
House that they were traveling for a drug firm. 
They made themselves friendly with the proprie- 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 85 
tor who, after being presented with cigars, voted 
them two “good fellows/' Perhaps he might 
have thought them “inquisitive fellows," too, if 
soon after his new guests' arrival, when he had 
been summoned to answer a long-distance tele- 
phone, he had noticed one of them slip up to the 
register, open it and search hurriedly for a name. 

“It's there all right," whispered the one who 
had examined the book as he slipped out from be- 
hind the desk again. “ ‘Ned Nevins — Boston.' I 
suppose he registered from there because he 
didn't want to run any chances of being asked 
questions about Millville." 

“Shouldn't wonder. Miles," was the rejoinder 
of Hank Nevins, “but he didn't reckon that we 
was just as slick as he is." 

The two “drug drummers" were Hank and his 
unsavory lawyer friend. Miles Sharkey. The two 
had been delayed in their pursuit of Ned by a 
very important handicap, namely, lack of funds. 
But on Hank having written to Mr. Mellville 


86 THE BOY INVENTOBS^ 

that they were on the track of the plans and had 
a good chance of securing them, the money for 
their expenses, (much to the surprise of both of 
them,) had been forwarded. They then lost no 
time in heading for Nestorville and laying plans 
for the recovery of the papers of the dead Jeptha 
Nevins. 

When Landlord Hinkley came out of the tele- 
phone-booth, one of his new guests stepped up to 
him. 

''Recollect a young chap named Nevins ?’" he 
asked. It may be said here that Hank and Miles 
had registered under assumed names. 

"Nevins?’' repeated the landlord. "Nevins? 
Well, I should just say I did.” 

"Stop here long?” asked Miles insinuatingly. 

"Quite a few days till he went to live with 
them Chadwick boys up on the hill yonder.” 

Hank and Miles exchanged significant glances. 
They were on the trail indeed now. 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 87 
‘'Um-er, the Chadwick boys/' began Miles at a 
venture. ''Chums of his, eh?" 

"Yes, I guess so, in a manner of speaking. My 
son Sam works for 'em, too. He's a bright lad, is 
Sam. Why, sir, I tell you around a bit of ma- 
chinery that boy's a marvel. Only last week my 
wife's sewing machine went out of whack and 
gosh ter mighty ef that boy Sam didn't have it 
all fixed up hunky dory in two shakes of a duck's 

tail. Nuther time " 

There is no knowing how long Mr. Hinkley 
might have gone on extolling his son's virtues had 
it not been for the fact that Miles and Hank were 
far too impatient to listen to a lengthy catalogue 
of Sam's bright doings. 

"Yes, yes," rejoined Miles. "I've no doubt 
your son is a mighty bright boy, Mr. Hinkley." 

"Gets it from his father," put in Hank with a 
clumsy attempt at a compliment. 

Crude as the attempt at flattery was. Landlord 


88 


THE BOY IXVENTOES^ 


Hinkley swallowed it whole. He smirked his ac- 
knowledgments. 

''Thank you, Mr. Avery,’' this was the name 
Hank had registered under. "Very handsome of 
you. I’m sure. Won’t you gentlemen hev a 
cigar?” 

Both the gentlemen accepted with thanks, and 
while they puffed at Landlord Hinkley’s aromatic 
weeds, they pursued further the subject that was 
closest to their hearts. 

"Fine cigars, these, Mr. Hinkley,” commented 
Miles, with a wink at Hank to show that the re- 
mark was ironical. 

"Oh, yes indeed,” responded the landlord, 
"Flor de Telphono, we call ’em. Telephone 
cigars, you know.” 

"Telephone cigars, that’s an odd name,” said 
Hank, with a wry face over his weed. Hank was 
one of those hollow-chested, pale-faced youths 
who think it smart to smoke but do so only with 
a great effort of will power. 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 


89 


‘'Yep, they calls ’em that, the boys says, be- 
cause you can smoke ’em here and smell ’em in 
Boston.” 

This choice witticism having being properly 
laughed at. Miles and Hank went further on their 
“fishing expedition.” 

“These Chadwick boys now,” pursued Hank, 
“friends of young Nevins likely?” 

“Wa’al, I dunno. I reckon he’s working for 
’em on some sort of contraption. You know these 
Chadwick boys is right smart lads on, such doo- 
dads. The Boy Inventors, they call ’em. Reckon 
maybe you’ve heard on ’em.” 

“No, I don’t know that I have,” rejoined Miles. 
“So young Nevins is working for them, eh?” 

“Er-huh. Has bin fer quite a spell.” 

“Sort of mechanic, I suppose?” 

“Wa’al, thar’ you got me,” admitted Mr. Hink- 
ley. “I hearn’,” he went on, sinking his voice and 
growing confidential, “that them boys is working 


90 


THE BOY INVENTOES’ 


on some sort of er flyin' machine er some sech 
foolishness/' 

Miles and Hank flashed a glance of comprehen- 
sion between them. They had reached their goal, 
then. 


ELECTEIC HYBEOAEEOPLANE 


91 


CHAPTER X. 

HEINY PUMPDRNICK DII.I.. 

‘^Hey, you black feller, dis be der place py vere 
der Poy Inventors vork, I don’t dink?” 

Old Jupe, the Chadwicks’ colored factotum, 
paused on his way from the village with a big 
basket and looked his questioner over from head 
to foot. It was an odd figure that he inspected. 
He found himself facing a blond-haired youth 
of about eighteen with apple-red cheeks and 
bright, twinkling blue eyes. 

Perched on the top of the youth’s tow-colored 
head was a small derby rakishly tilted to one side. 
A green bob-tailed coat — it had probably once 
been black — was carefully buttoned over a striped 
blue and white vest. The turned up ends of his 
baggy trousers were so far from the tops of his 
low, yellow shoes that they showed about two 
inches of startling red socks. 


92 THE BOY IHVEHTOES' 

‘'Who you done calling black feller demand- 
ed Jupe, with justifiable indignation. “Ah’m a 
genelman ob color ah am, and I wants that mis- 
tinctly undercunstumbled.'^ 

"Veil, dond go py geddin' a mads. Mister Gen- 
telemans vot VOS colored,'' said the tow-headed 
youth in a conciliatory' tone. "My name vos 
Heiny Bumpernick Dill." 

For answer Jupe threw back his woolly head 
and burst into a roar of laughter that showed two 
rows of white, gleaming teeth between his thick 
red lips. 

"Ho! Ho! Ho!— Ha! Ha! Ha!" he ex- 
ploded. "Oh! gollyupmtions ! ef dat ain't most- 
est funniest ting I eber heard." 

The tow-headed youth gazed at the negro's 
mirth with an expression that was at first amazed 
and then grew rapidly indignant. 

"Vos ist los midt you?" he demanded wrath- 
fully. 

"Loose? Der ain't nutting loose wid me, am 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 93 
dere?’’ demanded Jupe, fingering his waist band 
and in turn looking surprised. 

'H saidt idt 'Vos ist los !’ '' yelled the German 
boy. "Vot is idt der madder midt you anyvay?’’ 

"Oh, dat name ! Golly to goodness, chile ! Dat 
name suttinly got on mah risibles. Heiny Pump 
it quick — oh! ha! ha! ha!^^ and throwing back 
his head, old Jupe went off into another spasm of 
mirth. 

"I saidt idt Eumpernick '' 

"Was dat you say. Bumper 

"Nodt. 'Bumper-Bumper. P-U-M-P-ER — 
Bumper T 

Jupe scratched his woolly thatch. This was 
getting too much for him. 

"P-U-M-P-E-R spells Pumper, chile,’^ he said. 

"Dots vot I saidt idt, aind’t it? Bumper — Bum- 
bernick. Dot's my name, aind't idt?" 

"Say, lookah hyah, Massa Bumper, is you all 
crazy or am I ?" demanded Jupe. 

"Vos dot you say? I am grazy?" bellowed 


94 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

Heiny Pumpernick. He dropped a little wicker- 
work satchel he carried and doubled up his fists. 

'1 been adtletic feller alretty yet/' he shouted. 
'"You bed my life you no comes making der funs 
by me, py chiminy, black feller !" 

'Was dat? Who yo' all calls black fellers — 

/ 

you — you — yaller-headed Dutchman," ejaculated 
Jupe, thoroughly angry in his turn. 

Now there is nothing on earth better calculated 
to arouse a German's ire than to call him a 
Dutchman, and the same is the case when a negro 
is addressed as a "black fellow" or a "nigger." 
Both the German youth and old Jupe were now 
fighting mad. 

"I calls idt to you, black fellers," sputtered out 
young Dill, doubling up his plump fists. "I'm 
an adtletic feller, I pet you mein lifes. You calls 
me Mister Dill oder I pust you vun py der nose." 

"Ho ! ho ! ef you all do dat you be a dill in er 
pickle, ho ! ho !" 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 95 

^ Who is dot vot you calls a bickle ? By chim- 
iny, nigger, look idt out midt yourself!’' 

Without more words the redoubtable Heiny 
Pumpernick Dill let fly with his fists at Jupe who, 
for his part, was ready enough to begin hostili- 
ties. Now it so happened that this Homeric bat- 
tle took place on the banks of the large lake men- 
tioned in other volumes of this series. It was a 
body of water used for experimenting with mod- 
els of craft of various kinds and had been the 
scene of the testing out of the diving torpedo boat, 
as readers of the volume dealing with that inven- 
tion will recollect. 

The fist of the exasperated German youth, as , 
it leaped out, landed on a spot on Jupe’s anatomy 
which, while it was not calculated to do him 
much injury, still gave him plenty to think about. 

'Woof! Wha’ fo’ yo’ alls hit me in der stom- 
ick?” indignantly roared out Jupe. Without 
more ado he dropped the basket he had been bur- 
dened with and the lid burst open. Instantly th« 


96 


THE BOY INVENTOES’ 


ground was covered with a score of lively hard- 
shell crabs, but in the heat of their anger neither 
of the combatants noticed this. 

Jupe's retaliation for the German youth’s blow 
was vigorous. 

‘^Gollyumptions ! Ah makes, yo’ all call me a 
genelman ob color befo’ ah kicks yo’n off’n these 
hayar groun’s,” he cried indignantly. 

The next minute it was Mr. Dill’s turn to cry 
^‘Oof!” 

But he quickly recovered and then, closing in, 
the two pugilistic heroes engaged in a tussle 
which speedily brought them in a rolling, kicking, 
struggling heap to the ground. Over and over 
they rolled on the banks of the lake and their 
struggles speedily brought them among some of 
the escaped crabs. These lost no time in dealing 
with the combatants. One fastened itself into 
young Dill’s long yellow hair while another seized 
Jupe by the back of the neck. Two piercing yells 
went up simultaneously. 


ELECTKIC HYDROAEROPLANE 97 
''Oh! Ouch! Help! De debbil am got hold 
ob me by de neck!^^ roared out Jupe. 

"Leggo mein hairs, py chiminy !'’ screeched the 
German boy. "Himmel ! Donner ! Blitzen 
Over and over they rolled, with the crabs hold- 
ing fast with a tenacious grip. Their struggles 
quickly brought them to the bank of the lake. 
What with anger, and what with pain, they were 
past noticing anything and just as Jack and Tom, 
who had been attracted by the uproar, came run- 
ning down the gravel walk to ascertain its cause, 
a loud splash and a despairing yell announced the 
fact that the two doughty heroes had plunged into 
an element calculated to cool their wrath.. 


98 


THE BOY INVENTORS’ 


CHAPTER XL 

THE convertible sausage MACHINE. 

Jack and Tom arrived at the brink of the lake 
just as the two combatants, sputtering and splash- 
ing like a pair of grampuses, arose to the surface. 

‘TLs Jupe!’" cried Jack, 'Tut how in the name 
of timeP'L 

"But who is the other fellow shouted Tom. 

"Never mind that now. Jupe can’t swim and 
the water is deep there. We’ve- got to get him 
out.” 

The boys speedily stripped off their coats and 
kicked off their shoes preparatory to plunging 
to the rescue, but before they could do this, 
young Dill, who was a good swimmer, had seized 
Jupe by the back of the neck and dragged him, 
half drowned, to the shore. Jupe, dripping with 
water and mud, clambered out little the worse, 
except in appearance, for his adventure. 


ELECTEIC HYDROAEEOPLANE 99 . 

He was followed by young Dill, who was a 
sorry-looking object indeed. The water had 
caused the gaudy dye of his vest to run in great 
streaks down his light-colored pants. His hat, 
which had stuck to his head throughout the 
struggle, was sending streams of green water 
down over his rubicund face, while round his 
feet, as he emerged from the lake and stood be- 
fore the boys, was a crimson puddle. The dye on 
young Dilhs socks was certainly not of the ''fast'' 
variety, except in color. 

At the sight of the two extraordinary figures 
Jack and Tom could hardly refrain from burst- 
ing into roars of laughter. But they retained 
their gravity and looked sternly at Jupe. 

"Perhaps you will explain what this means?" 
began Jack. 

"Ah-ah-ah-ah," sputtered Jupe, opening and 
shutting his mouth like a fish newly removed 
from the water. 

"Well, we are waiting," said Jack, while Tom 


100 


THE BOY IHA’EXTOES’ 


turned away, suddenly overcome by a mysterious 
fit of coughing. 

‘'Vait idt a minutes undt I vill explanation idt 
to you,’’ volunteered young Dill. ''Dis is der vay 
idt vosn’t. I VOS cornin’ py der house to see der 
Poy Inventors undt I asked idt ob dis black ” 

Jupe suddenly came to life. Shaking his wool- 
ly head like a poodle he shouted out : 

^'Don’ you alls done go fer ter call me no black 
feller,” he shouted. 

''You no call idt to me Dutchman, I no call idt 
to you black fellers, aber no mans call me Dutch- 
man.” 

"Wait a minute ! Wait a minute ! What’s all 
this about?” demanded Jack. "How are we to 
understand anything with all this jabber? You 
there. Mister ” 

"Dill is mein name, sir,” said the young Ger- 
man with a dignity which assorted oddly with his 
weird appearance. 

"Well, Mr. Dill, you appear to be in a pickle,” 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 101 
said Jack with a grin he could not repress. ''Will 
you explain to me what was the cause of all this V* 

"Ah-ah-ah/’ began Jupe again, but Jack shook 
his head at him and the voluble young Dill told 
the story of the causes leading to the combat. 

"Well, you both appear to have been well pun- 
ished,’’ said Jack when he concluded, "and now 
perhaps you will telf me what you wanted to see 
us about.” 

"Vot I vanted to see you abodt ain’d it?” 
asked the German boy. 

"Yes.” 

"I vanted to see idt der Poy Inventors alretty.” 

"Well, you see them.” Young Dill’s face 
showed his astonishment, but he wisely repressed 
any comment. "What can we do for you ?” 

"You can do me for a fine inventions vot I haf,” 
responded the German youth. "I used to vurk 
midt a delicatessens pefore I pecome an inven- 
tors. I haf midt me in dis liddle satchel a motel 
of mein inventions.” 


102 THE BOY INVENTORS^ 

'Well, what is it? What is the nature of it?’’ 
demanded Jack. 

"Idt iss a new kindt of sissage machine,” ex- 
plained the proud youth, forgetting all about his 
recent immersion in the glow of the inventor's en- 
thusiasm, "chust py touching a lefer idt vill make 
bolognas, frankfurters, liebervurst, or any oder 
kindt of sissage dot is alretty. Vot you dink of 
him?” 

"Huh !” grunted Jupe aside, "ah's seed lots ob 
crazy inventors sense ah wourk hyah, but dis am 
de fustest sausage machine inventor dot I ebber 
clapped mah ole eyes on.” He stared at young 
Dill as if he had been a natural curiosity of some 
sort. 

Jack bit his lip hard to keep from laughing. As 
'■for Tom, he exploded into a roar of laughter 
which he could not restrain. Yoimg Dill looked 
bewildered. 

"I seel idt to you der Dill Convertible Sausage 
Machine for fif dousandt tollars!” he exclaimed 


ELECTKIC HYDEOAEROPLAlSrE 103 
with the air of a person making an unheard-of 
offer. 

am sorry, Mr. Dill,’’ said Jack, with exem- 
plary gravity, ‘'but we couldn’t handle your in- 
vention if you made a much cheaper price on it. 
However, you can no doubt dispose of it else- 
where.” 

“Ugh! Yo’ alls better try er butcher shop, 
Dutchy,” muttered Jupe, “an’ ef dey don’ want it 
dere take it to a crazy house ; maybe they kin use 
it and yo’ alls, too.” 

“Budt don’d you tink idt iss a goodt inven- 
tions ?” persisted young Dill. 

“Excellent! Fine!” declared Jack, with a side 
wink at Tom. “But we couldn’t handle it at all. 
And now, Mr. Dill, we’ll have to say good morn- 
ing. We are very busy. I’m sorry for what hap- 
pened, but really you know you brought it partly 
on yourself.” 

“Himmel! oder you hadt bought idt my con- 
vertible sissage machine I vould nodt haf cared 


104 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

if I hadt been drowned all over/' declared young 

Dill. 

With a melancholy face he gathered up his 
little wicker satchel. The boys were turning 
away when a sudden idea entered the young Ger- 
man's head. His face became irradiated with a 
ray of hope. 

'T haf idt here a motel of der convertible sis- 
sage machine," he said, "'aber you dakes me py 
der house I show you how to make bolognas, 
frankfurters, Ijeber " 

'It wouldn't be of the least use, Mr. Dill, you'd 
only be wasting your time," said Jack. "Excuse 
us now, please, we must hurry of¥." 

The young German was left standing alone on 
the gravel walk in the midst of his rubicund pud- 
dle. He looked after the retreating figures of 
the two boys and Jupe with a melancholy coun- 
tenance. But he was gratified none the less to 
observe that Jupe appeared to be getting what is 
commonly known as a "calling down." 


ELECTEIC HYDKOAEROPLANE 105 
dey don’d vant idt der convertible sissage 
machines/’ he muttered. ''Veil dey don’d know 
dot dey let a fortune slip through dere fingers der 
same as sissage slip through my machine, ain’d 
idt.” 

His eyes fixed themselves on Jupe’s humbled 
figure. 

"Chust der same,” he muttered in a low tone, 
"midt vun handt I can lick you — nigger !” 

Having done this justice to his outraged feel- 
ings, young Dill wrung the water out of his coat- 
tails and set out on the road to Nestorville. He 
thought that he had seen the last of High Towers. 
Had he but known it he was destined to do the 
boys a singular service ere long, but as he trudged 
along singing "Hi-lee! hi-lo!” to himself in a 
melancholy voice he was totally unaware of this. 


106 


THE BOY INVENTOKS’ 


CHAPTER XII. 

HANK AND MII^ES MEET THEIR MATCH. 

''Mr. Avery'' and "Mr. Reynolds," the names 
by which Hank Nevins and Miles Sharkey had 
chosen respectively to be known, were seated on 
the porch of the Hinkley House taking their ease 
with their feet elevated so as to afford a good 
view of the soles of their boots to any passers-by, 
when young Dill came down the street. 

Having recovered from his first disappoint- 
ment, the young German, who came of a perse- 
vering race, determined to remain in Nestorville 
for a time at any rate and try to see the Boy In- 
ventors again, regarding the Convertible Sausage 
Machine, at a more auspicious time. He had a 
small sum of money saved up, quite sufficient for 
his needs, and he resolved to buy some new 
clothes at the first opportunity and then make 
a more imposing descent upon High Towers. 


ELECTEIC HYDKOAEROPLANE lOT 

As he rightly argued, his appearance that 
morning had not been calculated to inspire confi- 
dence. 

''Der great inventors, aber Eddy's son, aber 
Macaroni, der inventor of der hairless telegraph, 
nefer fall py a pond midt a nigger," he mused. 
^'Maype dose poys dink I am a faker. Aber I 
don'd plame dem. I gedt idt me a new oudfit of 
clothes undt den call aroundt again. 'No trouble 
to show goodts' as de used to say idt ven I vos 
in pisiness." 

This train of thought brought him as far as the 
Hinkley House where our Teutonic friend be- 
thought him that after his strenuous exertions of 
the morning some dinner would be the proper 
thing. 

"Dis looks idt like a goodt quiedt hotel, aindt 
idt?" he said to himself. "I makes idt a pest 
(guest) of meinself here, py chiminy." 

By some mischievous chancethe oddfigureof Mr. 
Dill, rendered doubly striking since his immer- 


108 


THE BOY INVEYTOES^ 


sion, caught the eye of Hank Nevins, — alias Mr. 
Avery, — as he sat discussing, with his chum 
Miles, the best means of carrying out their designs 
against Ned Nevins and his JElectric Monarch. 

There was nothing that Hank liked better than 
to tease some one who looked as if he might prove 
an unresisting victim, and here was one ready to 
his hand, at least so he judged. 

''Hello, Dutchy,'' he remarked amiably, "been 
taking a bath with your clothes on ?” 

Young Dill faced round on him and looked him 
over from top to toe. 

"Aber I dink idt a bath do you no harm, main 
freindt, aindt idt,'^ he remarked blandly, "midt 
or midoudt clothes on.’’ 

This was not exactly what Hank had expected, 
and a subdued chuckle from some hangers on 
about the hotel porch did not increase his good 
humor. 

"It’s a good thing we didn’t cross on the same 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 109 
boat/^ observed Hank. ‘Tf Ld seen you Td never 
have landed.'’ 

'‘So " observed young Dill amiably, ^'veel 

dere vos no chance of your seeing me alretty." 

Hank winked at the loungers in order to show 
them that he was jiow prepared to have some fun 
with the queer-looking German youth. 

'Ts that so? How was that, Dutchy ?" he asked 
with a grin. 

'Tecos I come on a passenger boat," rejoined 
young Dill with all the equanimity in the world. 

A look of intense discomfiture spread over 
Hank's face. 

''The Dutchman's too m'uch for him," he heard 
some one whisper. As might be expected this 
remark did not tend to smooth over Hank's feel- 
ings toward the simple-looking young German. 
Instead he determined to launch some shaft of 
wit at him that would squash him flatter than a 
pancake. But so far all his attempts had proved 
boomerangs. 


110 THE BOY IHVENTOBS’. 

'H suppose you know all about sausages?'' he 
asked. 

Young Dill's eyes glittered. Here was a sub- 
ject in which he was deeply interested. 

''Oh ches !" he burst out eagerly, "sissages und 

fy 

"Never mind that, Sauerkraut," sneered Hank. 
"What kind of meat makes the best bologna?" 

Young Dill, who was smart enough in his way, 
saw that some joke was going to be had at his 
expense if he did not look out. The loungers 
leaned forward expectantly. Hank looked tri- 
umphant. At last he thought he had the "Dutch- 
man" up a tree. 

"You vant to know vot kindt of meat makes idt 
pest bolognas ?" he asked innocently. 

"That's what I said, Dutch," grinned Hank. 

"You ought to know dot aber bedder dan me al- 
retty," said young Dill gravely. 

"Is that so, old Sauerkraut? How's that?" 

"Pecos der pest bologna is made midt calf's 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 111 
headt, undt you vos veel supplidt mid dot/’ 
drawled out young Dill, and without waiting to 
hear the roar of laughter that went up at Hank’s 
expense, he wandered into the office and regis- 
tered. His signature was a peculiar one. This 
is how it read on the register : 

‘'Herr Heiny Pumpernick Dill, — Inventor At 
Large (and Small) — N. Y.” 

After ascertaining what time dinner would be 
ready, Herr Dill went to his room and busied 
himself till the meal was served by tidying up as 
well as he could, and removing the effects of his 
immersion. In this he could not but admit that he 
was not very successful, and he resolved imme- 
diately after dinner to saunter out and see what 
he could find in the way of smart attire in the 
village. 

‘T vunder now if I couldt gedt idt some yellow 
gloves,” mused young Dill to himself as he care- 
fully unpacked the model of the sausage machine 
and placed it on the floor. 


112 THE BOY IXYEXTOES’ 

''An inventor midt yellow gloves, — undt a redt 
necktie vould be some class as an inventor. Aber 
he vould be as stylish as Macaroni oder Eddy’s 
son. 

He fussed over his invention for a while to 
pass away the time till the dinner bell rang out its 
summons. It was an odd-looking contrivance. 
From a cylindrical steel box projected several 
hooked steel arms manipulated with springs in a 
way which no one but the inventor could by any 
possibility have mastered. 

While young Dill was working on one of these 
arms, there came a sudden sharp snap and he 
jerked his arm quickly out of the way and up- 
wards. 

"Himmel !” he exclaimed, "dot machine makes 
idt a preddy goodt trap alretty. Dot lefer near- 
ly caught it mein fingers. Maype if I can’t sell 
idt as a sissage machine, I make idt a purglar trap 
oudt of idt alretty — Hi-lee ! dere goes der dinner 
bell ! Dinner ! I am coming on der ger-jump !” 


ELECTPiIC HYDROAEROPLANE 


113 


CHAPTER XIII. 
re:ady por plight. 

'Well, fellows, the Electric Monarch is ready 
for her trial trip at last.'’ 

Thus spoke Jack Chadwick the following day. 
The body of the great land and water craft, look- 
ing like a butterfly with its wings off, stood, re- 
splendent in glittering paint and varnish, inside 
the big construction shed. 

All that remained to be done to fit her for the 
air was to equip the framework with the wings 
which were made detachable. This had been a 
necessary modification of Jeptha Nevins' plans, 
as the shed in which the craft had been construct- 
ed was not wide enough to permit the wings be- 
ing attached while the Electric Monarch was still 
under cover. 

At first this had proved quite a problem, but 


114 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

with the aid of Professor Chadwick w^ho, as has 
been said, had taken an active part in the work, 
the boys evolved a plan w^hereby the wings, (or 
planes,) had been made detachable and could be 
bolted or unbolted at pleasure. As the weight of 
each plane did not exceed fifty pounds, despite its 
broad spread, the work of putting on or taking off 
the wings w^as a comparatively easy one. 

It was an interested group that stood in the 
shed and surveyed their completed work. The 
Electric Monarch, they knew, was without ques- 
tion the most unique craft of its kind that had 
ever been constructed. Perfect in every detail 
as the great craft was, the boys felt a thrill of 
pride run through them as they viewed their com- 
pleted handiwork. Professor Chadwick had 
Spared no expense in aiding the boys at their 
task and the result was as perfect a bit of mech- 
anism as had ever been assembled. Outside the 
shed the great wings were ranged on special racks 
ready for attachment. 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 115 

To fit the Electric Monarch for flight all that 
was required was the charging of her powerful 
storage batteries. The craft would then be ready 
for the crucial test which would prove whether 
she was to live up to her name or be merely a 
mass of expensive junk fit only for the scrap-pile. 

It was small wonder then, that with the boys' 
feeling of glad pride, there was mingled no little 
anxiety. They stood on the threshold of either a 
monumental triumph or an ignoble failure. 

‘'Well, Ned," said Jack, clapping their slender 
young assistant on the shoulder, “there's your 
Electric Monarch as fit for flight as she ever will 
be." 

Ned Nevins turned his large eyes gratefully 
upon the boy he had learned within the past weeks 
to love and respect. 

“If she succeeds it will be owing to you. Jack, 
and you, Tom," he said happily; “as for Profes- 
sor Chadwick, I owe him a debt of gratitude I 
can never repay." 


116 


THE BOY INVEXTOES’ 


“Nonsense, my lad,’’ spoke the Professor, with 
a kindly smile, “win or lose, we have all learned 
much during the last few weeks. Ned, your 
uncle, had he lived, would have been one of the 
world’s great inventive geniuses.” 

“I know it. I am sure of it,” said Ned grate- 
fully. “My poor uncle! This would have been 
a proud day for him if he had lived.” 

He resolutely fought back his momentary feel- 
ing of sadness, and in order to regain his com- 
posure helped Jack adjust a brace and tighten one 
or two bolts. 

“An’ you alls means ter tell me widout confabu- 
lation or fear ob controversial flabbergumbugism 
dat dis yar monstrositfex am er gwine ter fly er 
swim?” demanded Jupe, lapsing, as he always did 
under excitement, into a perfect spasm of word 
coining. 

“We hope so, Jupe,” rejoined Tom. “Why, are 
you aching for a ride?” 

“Who, me?” and Jupe’s eyes grew wide. “No, 


ELECTEIC HYDROAEEOPLANE 117 
sah ! Ah’m nuthin’ but jes er tumble-bug so far 
as de desirousness ob cirperambulatin' de air am 
consarned/' 

‘'So you wouldn’t care to go up, Jupe?” in- 
quired Ned, with a smile. 

“No, sah! Wid emphaticness, ah says, N-O- 
No! Ef dat ting eber fall frum de etarnal heb- 
bins! — Laws-ee! What a confabulating smash- 
up dere is agwine ter be aroun’ hyar.” 

“But we don’t figure that it will fall, Jupe. At 
any rate we are going to fly out over the water 
and then the twin boats will keep us afloat what- 
ever happens.” 

“Wa’al, sah, Massah Jack, be dat as it may, 
I’d rabber be on der groun’ lookin’ up dan in der 
sky lookin’ down,” declared the old negro with 
great positiveness. 

“Let us make a final trip of inspection,” sug- 
gested the Professor. The idea was hailed glad- 
ly. Led by Mr. Chadwick, the lads, laughing and 
chatting gaily, went through the cabins and the 


118 


THE BOY INVENTOES’ 


strong structure designed to support the Electric 
Monarch when in flight. 

The staterooms were finished with glittering 
paint and everything was spick and span as a new 
pin. Leaving the first cabin they passed through 
the connecting tube into the other one. This hav- 
ing been minutely examined, even down to the 
electric stove with which it was provided, the pro- 
fessor led the way into what was, to the boys, the 
most interesting part of the craft. 

This was the pilot house. It has been already 
described, so we shall not go into any details 
further than to say that every appliance was in 
place, the wiring perfect, and all in readiness for 
the pilot to take the wheel and guide the most 
wonderful craft of the age on her initial flight. 

Running fore-and-aft the entire length of the 
Electric Monarch, was a narrow plank runway. 
This was so that any part of the craft might be 
reached with ease when she was under way. The 
runway extended out to the bearings of the pro- 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 119 
pellers already mentioned, and it would be part 
of the duty of whoever was entrusted with the 
oiling to venture out occasionally within reach of 
the whirling blades and apply lubricants to the 
bearings. On the water this would be a compara- 
tively simple matter. None of the boys was quite 
sure in his mind just how this duty would ap- 
pear when the craft was many hundreds of feet 
above the earth. 

However, they were not worrying about such 
details as this just then. There was but one 
thought uppermost in the minds of each of the 
eager young constructors of the Electric Mon- 
arch. 

Would she live up to expectations? 

Possibly Ned, who was new to aerial work, was 
more nervous than his companions over the 
thought of the trial trip. This was not surprising. 
It requires courage of a rare sort to attempt for 
the first time to climb the air in an absolutely un- 
tried craft. - Yet this was the ordeal they had to 


120 THE BOY INVENTOK3’ 

face. Moreover, there was a strong possibility 

that a failure might result in death. 

'"Have you decided yet upon the course we will 
take on the trial trip?'' Jack inquired of his father 
as they finished their inspection, a tour, by the 
way, on which Sam had not been invited, to his 
great chagrin. 

''Yes; if all goes well we will fly straight for 
the ocean, provided it is calm. That will give us 
a fine opportunity to test out the hydroplane de- 
vices." 

"I feel sure enough of success to plan a voyage 
across the Atlantic," declared Tom confidently. 

"That would be a little bit premature, my boy/^ 
said the Professor, with a smile. 

"But provided the Electric Monarch is all we 
expect, wouldn't it be feasible?" 

"I see no reason why not," responded Mr. 
Chadwick. "At any rate in the present state of 
aeronautics, if the dream of a flight across the 
ocean is to come true, it seems to me that the 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 121 
Electric Monarch will be the first to make the ad- 
venturous voyage/' 

‘'Ned, you will be famous yet," declared Jack. 
‘T can see the name of Ned Nevins in the Hall 
of Fame." 

“Huh! Maybe you see it in de bottom ob de 
deep blue sea," sniffed Jupe sceptically. The old 
negro had no love for air craft since his expe- 
riences in the electric storm in Yucatan. 

While the foregoing scene had been transpiring 
at High Towers, a far different one had been 
taking place at the Hinkley House. Having fin- 
ished his dinner, a meal at which he caused much 
merriment by his odd antics and remarks, young 
Dill had sauntered out in search of new apparel. 
He had succeeded beyond his wildest hopes in 
finding some striking attire. From the stock of 
the village tailor he had selected a suit of green, 
red and black check, originally made for some 
amateur theatricals, a red waistcoat and a funny 


122 THE BOY INVENTOES’ 

little blue hat with what he called a "'rudder'^ 

stuck on behind. 

From the tailor shop, where he insisted on hav- 
ing his packages wrapped up, young Dill passed 
to the haberdashery where he invested in a star- 
tling necktie and some radiant socks. Then, with 
triumph in his eye, and with his purchases under 
his arm, he retraced his way to the hotel. 

^^By chiminy,^^ he said to himself, as he hur- 
ried along quite unconscious of the wondering 
glances cast his way. 'Ty chiminy grickets, I 
show dem vot style is, I bet you my life!’’ 

The German youth went straight to his room 
to change into his gorgeous raiment. He was 
still in the midst of this task, every now and then 
stealing a look at himself in the mirror, when his 
attention was arrested by the sound of voices in 
the next room. 

The partitions in the Hinkley House were not 
particularly thick, this being caused by the fact 
that landlord Hinkley, being of an economical 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 123 
turn of mind, had partitioned off all his large 
rooms into two apartments when he became the 
proprietor of the hostelry. 

As a consequence, conversations carried on in 
even ordinary tones were plainly audible in the 
adjoining rooms. 

'Ty chiminy, I hope dose fellers in der next 
room don’d talk it py dere schleep/^ mused young 
Dill as he tied his rainbow cravat, ''or I get no 
schlumbers, ain’d idt?'' 

The next instant his attention was attracted 
to the speakers in the adjoining room by a singu- 
lar circumstance. It appeared that he himself 
was the topic of their conversation. 

"That pig-headed Dutchman with the comedy 
clothes,’’ was what he heard. 

"Py chiminy, dot means me !” exclaimed 
young Dill, "der vind vos in somedings. Dere 
VOS a voodpile in der nigger in dot next room, i 
dink I listen me a leedle closer, ain’d idt?” 


124 : 


THE BOY INVENTORS’ 


CHAPTER XIV. 

HEINY OVERHEARS THE PEOT. 

Now, as my readers have no doubt seen by this 
time, Heiny Pumpernick Dill was no fool. In 
fact, despite his eccentric outside, the German 
youth possessed a keen, smart mind, which acted 
well in almost any emergency. 

Giving a final flourish and grimace at himself 
in token of admiration of his new necktie, young 
Dill crept silently across the room and laid his 
ear against the partition. In this position he 
could hear every word that was being said in the 
next room. 

‘'So you know that the Dutchman was at High 
Towers this morning?'' said one of the voices, 
that of Miles Sharkey, although, of course, young 
Dill could not recognize it. 

But he recognized the voice that replied with- 
out hesitation : 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 

''Yes, I made it my business to find out about 
the sauerkraut-eating Heiny,’^ was the rejoinder. 

"Ah-ha! Now comes it oudt!’' exclaimed 
young Dill to himself. ''Dot is der feller vot 
dinks he get funny midt me and laughs midt der 
wrong side of his face yet.'' 

"Is he a friend of that High Towers bunch?'' 

The voice that was unfamiliar to the German 
youth put the question. 

"Aber am I ein friendt or not?" muttered 
young Dill. "I vould like to know dot." 

"No, he's no friend," it was Hank speaking, 
"in fact, from what I hear, he got into a row of 
some sort up there to-day." 

"Aber dot's right, budt idt vos in der lake vot 
I gedt," said young Dill to himself. 

"So he is not one of the crowd at all?" 

"No. He's just a butter-in of some sort. I 
hear they get a lot of cranks up there." 

"Oh, ho ! So I'm a ker-ank, am I ?" muttered 
the German boy, shaking his fist at the uncon- 


126 THE BOY lYYENTORS’ 

scious pair in the next room, ^'You vatch me ! I 
bedt you my life some day I ker-ank you der 
wrong vay, mein freindt/’ 

'Well, crank or no crank, he certainly put it 
over on you before dinner to-day. Hank. Td ad- 
vise you to leave him alone in future.'^ 

"So his name vos Hank,'' murmured young 
Dill, as he listened. "All righd. Hank, you gedt 
fixed by a ker-ank — by chiminy, dot's boetry de 
firstest vot I ever make!" exclaimed the lad, as 
he formed the involuntary rhyme. 

"Oh, I'll fix him, never fear," rejoined Hank. 
"The tallow-headed buttinski! But first we've 
got other things to attend to. The Dutchman can 
wait." 

"You chust bedt he can vait. Mister Hank," 
muttered Heiny, on his side of the partition, 
"vaiting is one of der best things he does, und 
ven he gedts idt goodt undt retty den he yump — 
by chiminy ! — he yump !" 

"That's right, we had better discuss what we 


ELECTRIC HYDROAERORJLANE 127 
mean to do. If they make that trial trip to-mor- 
row we shall have to act quickly/’ said Miles in 
reply to Hank’s last remark. 

''What did you find out?” he added. 

"Well, I spent quite a bit of time snooping 
around up there. I found a fool of a colored man 
who told me a lot.” 

"Dot VOS der plack feller, I bedt you my life,” 
chuckled the German boy, with his ear to the par- 
tition. "Veil he iss a chump und dot’s der first 
true word der feller in der next room has 
spoken.” 

"So the colored man was easy, eh ?” 

"Easy? I should say. I told him I was from 
Edison’s place and was just looking around. He 
didn’t loosen up much so I gave him a dollar and 
he told me all he knew. He’s a bigger chump 
than that Dutch kid.” 

"So-o-o-o!” fairly hissed Heiny, on his side of 
the wall, "veel. Mister Schmardty, maype dot der 


128 


THE BOY INVESTORS' 


Tutch poy is not so much of chump as you 
dink." 

‘Well, what did he tell you?" demanded Miles 
impatiently. 

“About all I wanted to know. I posed as being 
interested in young Nevins, but not wanting him 
to know that I was around till the success or fail- 
ure of the Electric Hydroaeroplane was as- 
sured." 

“Now comes it oudt," muttered Heiny, prick- 
ing up his ears. 

“Yes, and then — upon my word you are slow, 
Hank," came Miles’s voice. 

“Humph! that’s all the thanks I get after all 
the work I’ve done," came in an aggrieved voice 
from Hank. 

“That’s all right. Hank. Of course I know 
you’ve done well. But get down to cases." 

“W ell, then," continued Hank in a sulky tone, 
“I learned that the Electric Monarch is completed. 
The trial trip will probably take place to-morrow 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 129 
morning, or it may be delayed till night. If we 
mean to strike, we must do so quickly.’' 

‘‘Yes, if we can’t get hold of the plans we must 
do all we can to cripple the ship, for if once it is 
a proved success, our game is up.” 

“That’s right. Confound that young cousin of 
mine. He’s checkmated me.” 

“Not quite yet. Hank,” was the confident reply. 
“Even if we don’t get a chance to injure the ship 
or steal the plans. I’ve yet another scheme up my 
sleeve — a legal one.” 

“A legal one?” 

“Yes, I’m smart enough for that. But we 
won’t work it till the time comes. In the mean- 
while we must do what we can to stop this trial 
trip from coming off.” 

“Have you any plans in that respect ?” 

“No, I confess I hadn’t till you told me about 
that Dutch boy. Why can’t we use him ?” 

“What, that dunderhead !” 

“Ah-ha ! So-o-o-o I am a dunderhead, too, iss 


130 THE BOY INVENTOES’ 

idt?^^ growled Heiny from his side of the parti- 
tion. 'Tm dunderheadt midt ears on my dunder- 
headt, though, py chiminys 

He started counting on his pudgy fingers. 

‘'Chump ! Dutchman ! Dunderheadt ! Dot 
makes three! Very veel, Hank, I makes it all 
ger-skvare midt you before I gedts drough, I bet 
me. 

“Of course he’s a bonehead,” came the other 
voice, which made poor Heiny squirm. 

“But that’s all the better for our purpose. If 
he had any sense he might suspect something. 
As it is ” 

“He don’d know somedings,” chuckled Heiny 
to himself. 

“Hanged if I can see what you are driving at,” 
growled Hank. “I wouldn’t employ that Dutch- 
man to mop off a floor.” 

“Of you did I mop idt midt you,” muttered the 
young German indignantly. 

“Now, listen, Hank,” said Miles, “the German 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 131 
got into trouble up there to-day, you say? Very 
well, he’s naturally sore at the whole High Tow- 
ers crowd. All right. We go to him and offer 
him a chance to get even. Nobody would sus- 
pect him of contemplating any harm to anything 
or anybody; he hasn’t got sense enough.” 

"Ty golly, I premeditate harm to you all righdt, 
mister,” grunted young Dill angrily. 

‘What do you mean to get him to do?” in- 
quired Hank eagerly. 

‘We’ll discuss that later. The thing to do now 
is to get him on our side.” 

“I’ll attend to that,” said Hank, “leave it to me 
to fix that Dutchman so that he’ll eat out of my 
hand.” 

“Veil now dot is nice of you,” said young Dill 
to himself as the two men in the next room va- 
cated it, closing the door behind them. 


132 


THE BOY INVENTOES^ 


CHAPTER XV. 

BURGLAR TRAP. 

The German lad finished his preparations for 
astonishing Nestorville with elaborate care. 
Having adjusted his derby at what he considered 
a fetching angle, he prepared to descend and to 
conquer. 

''Maype so I cotch idt an heiress,'' he said to 
himself, ''undt den I bodder no more midt der 
convertible sissage machine." 

Heiny was perfectly right when he concluded 
that he was about to astonish Nestorville. The 
porch of the hotel was fairly well occupied when 
he descended, and the street was also pretty well 
thronged. The sight of the German youth in 
his tight-fitting check clothes, gaudy socks, rain- 
bow tie and yellow gloves created an amount of 
attention which gratified Heiny to the full. 


ELECTRIC ‘HYDROAEROPLANE 133 
der first time dey see idt in dis penighted 
village vot clothes vears a chentleman/' he said 
to himself. 

His first jar came when a small boy stepped 
up to him. 

'‘Say, mister said the urchin. 

"Vel, vot idt iss, mein poy?'' asked Heiny. 

"Wot Cher sellin’?^^ 

"Sellin’ ? I do not comprehension you.’’ 

"What you advertisin’ then. Squirts Savory 
Soap or Odles Orient Oats?” 

"Mein leedle poy, I adtvertise idt nuddings.” 

"Nor sell nothing?” 

"Nein. I am a chentleman of leisure undt an 
inventor.” 

"Oh, climb back in der cage,” advised the rude 
urchin, and amidst a shout of laughter from his 
cronies he dashed off. 

"Climb py der cage?” muttered young Dill, 
looking about. "I see no cage, undt efen if I didt 
I vouldn’t climb in — no, sir, not vile I haf nice 


134 


THE BOY INVENTORS’ 


room midt conversationings thrown in free of 
charge for nuddings/’ 

'‘On a trip?’’ asked a tall gangling village youth 
of the "half-baked” age, approaching the Ger- 
man boy. 

"No, I am oudt on der ocean sufferin’ seferely 
midt sea sickness,” responded Heiny with with- 
ering scorn, and the village youth subsided. 

"I vonder vot is der madder midt me ?” thought 
young Dill to himself, seeing that he was the 
observed of all observers in and about the hotel. 
"Oh, veil! I subbose dot a veil-dressed man is 
not often seen hereabouts.” 

He sat down in a chair on the porch and before 
long a cadaverous-looking individual, with lank, 
black hair and a solemn countenance seated him- 
self beside him. 

"A stranger in our city, sir, I take it?” began 
the newcomer. 

"Yes, dey all seem to dink I am stranger dan 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLAXE 135 
anydings dot dey see yet/' rejoined Heiny good- 
naturedly. 

''A natural ignorance, my dear sir. You, I 
take it, come from the centers of cosmopolitan- 
ism?" 

‘^Vell, I don't know dot town. I come from 
New York," was the German youth's reply. 

''A noble city, sir." 

‘'Veil, I don'd know about dot. Dey vouldn'd 
buy mein convertible sissage machine." 

“What, you are an inventor?" 

“Ches, an inventor at large — (undt schmall) 

" declared young Dill, throwing out his chest 

proudly. 

“You must make a great deal of money." 

“Oh, enough to lif py meinself — enough for 
dot! I don'd vant for nuddings. Der best in 
clothes or foodt is none too goodt for me," and 
the German swelled with pride. He did not no- 
tice the glitter that had come into the eyes of the 


136 THE BOY INVENTOKS’ 

cadaverous man at the mention of money. He 
eyed young Dill cunningly and then asked : 

‘'A guest of this hotel, sir?’’ 

‘'Ches, I stop here. Idt iss nodt a badt blace 
but der pickles iss no good,” said young Dill 
loftily, as if he had been used to hotels all his 
life. 

The cadaverous man leaned over toward the 
German youth confidentially. 

^Tf you carry large sums with you I need not 
warn you of the danger of thieves.” 

‘'Oh, no, I am careful midt mein money,” 
young Dill assured his new-found friend, “I al- 
vays schleep midt idt in der toe of vun of mein 
shoes.’' 

“Ah, indeed. May I ask why?” 

“Veil, you see, ker-ooks dey look under der 
pillow undt in der clothing but dey nefer dink of 
lookin’ py der toes of mein shoes. A goodt 
scheme, ain’d idt?” 


ELECTEIC HYDKOAEROPLANE 137 

''Excellent. Good evening, my dear young 
man. I have much enjoyed our conversation.'' 

And the cadaverous-looking man bowed him- 
self out, looking back as he went with a covert 
smile on his face. 

"Thank you, my Teutonic friend," he said to 
himself as he made his way across the office. 
"I'm much obliged to you for confiding to 'Dea- 
con' Terry the place where you hide your roll. 
To judge by your clothes it must be a fat one. 
I think I'll investigate your shoes to-night." 

So thinking, "Deacon" Terry, the notorious 
hotel thief, examined the register, made sure of 
the location of "the inventor's" room and then 
politely requested that his baggage be transferred 
to a room on that floor, as the room he had been 
assigned to did not please him. His request was 
at once granted, for the "Deacon" possessed an 
impressive, not to say ministerial manner, which 
gave not the least clue lo his real character. 

Without appearing to feel the slightest con- 


138 THE BOY INVENTORS' 

cern in them, young Dill watched, with intense in- 
terest, the movements of Hank Nevins and 
Miles Sharkey, following the conclusion of the 
evening meal. Matters were further complicated 
in the German youth’s mind by the fact that they 
did not approach him, as he had expected, but in- 
stead, engaged the landlord’s son in conversation. 

By adroitly maneuvering, young Dill succeeded 
in getting into a position where a pillar in the 
lobby hid him from view and afforded a capital 
screen behind which to listen to the formation of 
the plot which he was sure was going forward. 
He had learned earlier in the day that Sam Hink- 
ley worked at the High Towers workshop and 
was considerably surprised when he saw the boy 
allow himself to be drawn into talk with Hank 
and the man the German youth knew as ‘'Der 
stranger.” 

'T’ll bedt idt er pretzel dot der iss some more 
crooked pisiness going forvarts,” he thought to 
himself as he watched Sam in deep conversation 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 139 
with the pair he already knew plotted mischief to 
the Electric Monarch. “Does two fellers iss so 
crooked dey could behind a corkscrew hide. I 
vatch unat lisden. Maybe I find idt oudt some 
more. If I do, I tell der poys by der Electric 
Monarch and den maybe dey give me a chob.’’ 

With this idea in mind, he worked his way to 
the position he adjudged most favorable for his 
eavesdropping. Now young Dill was no friend 
to sneaky ways, but in the present case he felt 
that the end justified almost any means. He 
knew enough to realize that the Boy Inventors’ 
project was threatened by two men whom he in- 
stinctively felt were bad characters, even if he 
had not overheard their talk of the afternoon. 

He had not listened long when all his sus- 
picions were confirmed. With cunning skill 
Miles Sharkey was working on Sam Hinkley’s 
hatred of Ned Nevins to enlist Sam in the plot 
against the Electric Monarch. But to young 
Dill’s chagrin, he could not get close enough to 


140 THE BOY INVENTORS' 

hear all their conversation without risking being 
discovered. He had, therefore, to content him- 
self with fragmentary bits. But such as these 
were, they were quite sufficient to inform him that 
Sam Hinkley was ready to turn traitor to his 
young employers. 

''Then you'll do it?" were the last words the 
German youth heard Miles address to Sam. 
Hinkley. 

"You can depend on me to fix the young 
sneak," he heard Sam answer. "But when do I 
get my money?" 

"When we get ours from the party I told you 
about. Is that satisfactory?" asked Miles, who 
appeared to act as spokesman. 

"That's all right," was Sam's reply, as he 
strolled away, and the two conspirators ex- 
changed triumphant glances. 

"Now dey come py me, I bedt you my life," 
muttered the young German to himself as he 
flopped into a chair and appeared engrossed in a 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 


141 


newspaper which happened, by good luck, to be 
lying there. Sure enough it was not many min- 
utes before he heard a honey voice addressing 
him. 

It was Hank. He expressed great regret for 
the occurrences of the morning. 

''1 don't know what got into me," he said, ''any- 
how I apologize very sincerely." 

"Oh, dot's all righdt," said young Dill easily, 
"und at dot I don'd dink dot you hadt very much 
on me." 

Hank agreed, and then after some more con- 
versation he approached the subject that young 
Dill knew he had been leading up to all the time. 

"You know those Boy Inventors, as they call 
them, up at High Towers ?" he asked. 

"Veil, I can't say dot I know dem," replied 
Heiny truthfully, "but I like to get a chob by 
dem." 

"Oh, looking for a job, are you?" 

"Ches, I needt some money preddy badtly und 


142 THE BOY INVENTOES’ 

I don’d mindt telling you dot I aindt particular 
how I get idt alretty/' 

Hank fell into the trap readily. ''This fellow’s 
easier than I thought,” he chuckled to himself. 
He proceeded to "feel out” the German youth a 
little more, and then made him a confidant in their 
plans, young Dill appearing to fall in readily with 
all their schemes. 

Briefly the plot was this. Young Dill was to 
present himself at High Towers in the morning. 
Seemingly he was to be in quest of work. But 
his real mission was to take advantage of any op- 
portunity that might present itself to disconnect 
one of the wires leading from the storage bat- 
teries to the motor. Failing in this, he was to in- 
jure the Electric Monarch in any way that he 
could. Hank having previously found out that 
young Dill understood considerable about ma- 
chinery. 

To all this the young German appeared to 
agree. In fact he was even enthusiastic. 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 143 

*‘l guess I make more money on dis chob dan I 
vouldt oudt of mein sissage machine/' he said. 

‘"Money!" exclaimed Hank. “Why, if you can 
pull this thing off right you'll be able to buy a new 
suit every ten minutes." 

“Den I'm your man," said young Dill. 

Soon after this he went to bed. He would 
have liked to go to High Towers that night but 
he knew that he was watched. Moreover, as 
there was to be no attempt made to injure the ma- 
chine till the next morning, he would not have 
accomplished any useful purpose, except perhaps, 
to scare the plotters away, which was the last 
thing he wished to do. 

Before turning in, the German youth expended 
a few loving caresses on the convertible sausage 
machine, and then, placing it on the floor, he tum- 
bled into bed and soon his snores proclaimed that 
at least one guest of the Hinkley House was en- 
joying peaceful slumber. 

It was after midnight that a door down the 


144 THE BOY INVENTORS^ 

corridor from the German youth's room was cau- 
tiously opened and the cadaverous head and lank 
black locks of '^Deacon" Terry protruded them- 
selves into the dimly lighted passage. Apparent- 
ly satisfied that every one was in bed, the “Dea- 
con" slipped out of his room and tip-toed down 
the passage to young Dill's door. 

Bending, he listened at the key-hole. The na- 
sal music which greeted his ears caused a satis- 
fied smile to creep over his features. He fumbled 
in his pocket for a minute and then a jingling 
sound proclaimed that he had found what he was 
in search of — a bunch of skeleton keys. 

With a deftness born of long practice the 
“Deacon" inserted one of the keys in the lock of 
young Dill's door. There was the slightest of 
clicks and then the Deacon cautiously pushed the 
portal open. An instant's pause, and then with 
the gliding motion of a snake, he slipped through 
the door. 

“Snap!" 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 145 

A sound like the firing of a pistol was followed 
almost immediately by almost appalling yell. 

‘‘Help! Ouch! HelpT 

The next moment a figure came flying into the 
corridor. Attached to it was what at first sight 
appeared to be a gigantic spider. Down the cor- 
ridor the figure fled, yelling at the top of his voice. 

All through the hotel, doors could be heard 
opening and shouts and cries rang through the 
entire structure from office to garret! 

“It^s fire!’^ 

“There’s murder!” 

“Call the police !” 

“Thieves !” 

“Fire! Fire!” 

Mingling with these and a dozen other frantic 
cries from alarmed guests came the clanging of 
gongs as the night clerk, aroused from his doze 
in *the office, sprang to the emergency alarm and 
pulled it. This redoubled the confusion. 

In the midst of the pandemonium there came 


146 


THE BOY INVESTORS’ 


skyrocketing madly down the stairs into the half- 
dressed crowd swarming in the lobby, an extraor- 
dinary and alarming figure. It was that of a man 
clad only in shirt and trousers upon whose face 
was stamped the wildest terror. Frightened cries 
broke from his lips and the horrified onlookers 
perceived that, attached to him, behind, was a 
gigantic spider, or such at least the thing ap- 
peared. 

With a last frantic cry the victim of the repul- 
sive-looking creature gave a bound and fell head- 
long on the floor of the crowded lobby. As he 
did so there was a metallic clang, the ‘^spider’’ 
was detached from his waistband and the excited 
crowd saw that it was in reality a metallic device 
of some sort. 

It was just at this moment that the fire depart- 
ment and the police department, the latter con- 
sisting of two men and a chief, with a resplendent 
star of pie-plate proportions, burst into the 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 147 
thronged lobby. The chief rushed up to the pros- 
trate man and raised him to his feet. 

The instant his eyes encountered the other's 
face, the village functionary gave a cry of aston- 
ishment. 

‘Tt's ‘Deacon' Terry, the crook!" he exclaimed, 
with a firm grip on the man. “There's a descrip- 
tion and a reward out for his capture." 

“What have you been up to now?" asked one 
of the policemen, but before the discomfited thief 
could reply, a strange figure in red and white 
striped pajamas shoved its way through the ex- 
cited throng that jammed the lobby. 

“I can tell you dot. Dot feller dere vos try to 
make a robberies midt mein room. Mein burglar 
trap — dot used to be a sissage machine — makes a 
capture by him." 

“Who in thunder are you?" demanded the 
chief, regarding the wild-looking German youth 
with amazement. 

“I am Heiny Pumoernick Dill, inventor at 


148 THE BOY IXVENTOBS’ 

large (undt schmall) of der Convertible Sissage 
Machine. Dot iss, idt used to be a sissage ma- 
chine — now I make idt of him a burglar trap/’ 

''Say, is this fellow crazy or what ?” exclaimed 
the chief, who had been unable, not unnaturally, 
to make head or tail of this jargon. 

"I think I can explain, chief,” said the night 
clerk, coming forward. "It’s plain enough that 
this fellow, — the 'Deacon’ as you call him, — 
tried to get into Mr. Dill’s room. He succeeded, 
but instead of robbing Dill he was seized by this 
what-you-may-call it.” 

He indicated the sausage machine lying in a 
heap of spider-like limbs and springs on the floor 
near-by. 

"Dot is not a what-you-mighdt-call-idt ” 

began young Dill indignantly, "idt is a sissage 
machine. I pudt him der door py ven I go to 
mein schleep. I suppose dot dis feller got ger- 
grabbed by idt ven he come to take all der money 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 149 
dot I told him early in der efenin’ I hadt in mein 
shoes/' 

It was some time before things quieted down 
and the notorious ‘‘Deacon" was taken off to the 
village lock-up. Young Dill was the recipient of 
many congratulations on the success of his 
“burglar-trap." But somehow they did not 
please him. As he returned to his interrupted 
slumbers he muttered to himself : 

“I am a preddy bum inventor alretty. I don'd 
know meinself vot I invent. Here I go to vurk 
undt make idt a fine sissage machine undt now I 
haf to turn idt into a burglar-trap — Himmel!" 


150 


THE BOY INVENTORS’ 


CHAPTER XVI. 

THi: I.OST LDV^R. 

Bright and early the next morning the young 
inventors, and the workmen attached to their 
''plant,’’ wheeled out the framework of the Elec- 
tric Monarch and the business of attaching the 
wings was begun. It was just half an hour from 
the time the work began to the moment when the 
last bolt was in place, and like a huge red and sil- 
ver butterfly the wonderful craft stood poised 
ready for flight. 

The boys had had but little sleep and their 
dreams had been of skimming the air or gliding 
over the surface of the sea. Now, as they stood 
back and gazed at their completed handiwork, 
they felt a proud thrill of work well doi?e. Come 
what might of the trial trip, they felt that they 
had done their very best. 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEEOPLANE 151 

Only one thing marred their delight at the com- 
pletion of their long task. Professor Chadwick, 
who from time to time suffered from severe head- 
aches, would be unable to accompany them on the 
initial voyage. Instead, one of the workmen, a 
man named Joyce, was selected to go along. 

When everything was in readiness for the 
start. Jack visited his father’s study. He was in 
hopes that even at the eleventh hour the Professor 
might feel well enough to accompany them. He 
well knew what a disappointment it was to his 
father to have to remain behind. But Professor 
Chadwick had been warned by his physician not 
to risk excitement when suffering from one of his 
nervous headaches. 

Jack found his father lying on a lounge in the 
library. 

''No, Jack, my boy,” he said in answer to the 
boy’s anxious inquiries, "I’m afraid the trial trip 
must be made without me. I am under doctor’s 
orders and cannot disobey them.” 


152 THE BOY INVENTOES’ 

'1 wish you could come, father/' replied the 
boy, “but if everything goes off all right you will 
have many opportunities to ride in the Electric 
Monarch. Now, since you can't come, I am going 
to entrust to your care the plans and blue prints 
of the craft." 

“Yes, they will be safer here." 

“I have just brought them from the workshop. 
See, here they are," and Jack produced a volumi- 
nous roll of papers. “We are responsible to Ned 
Nevins for the safety of these and we must see 
that they are looked after carefully." 

“Put them in the safe, my boy, and then give 
me the combination. If I feel better later on I 
should like to look them over." 

Jack went to a large wall safe in one corner of 
the room, opened it and placed the papers within. 
He then gave the combination to his father on a 
slip of paper. When this had been done he felt 
easier in his mind. 

“They are safe enough now," he thought. He 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE , 153 
mixed his father a draught of medicine and then, 
summoning a servant, he told her to be ready to 
answer any call from the library, in which room 
Professor Chadwick intended to spend the day. 

When this had been done Jack felt that further 
delay would be useless. Bidding his father good- 
bye, and promising to give him every detail of 
the trip on his return, the boy hurried out to join 
his comrades. 

It was a cloudless day. There was not a 
breath of wind to stir the leaves. A better morn- 
ing for the testing of the Electric Monarch could 
not have been imagined. 

''Well, Tom, we're all ready, I guess." 

"As ready as we ever will be, Jack. The big 
moment is due. Everything all right to your 
mind, Ned?" 

"Down to the last nut on the last bolt," replied 
young Nevins positively. 

"Then we had better climb on board and get 


ready for the start." 


154 THE BOY INVENTORS' 

Joyce, a stalwart, middle-aged mechanic, fol- 
lowed the boys on board the Electric Monarch. 
They first visited the pilot house. It had al- 
ready been decided that Jack, on account of his 
previous experience with aerial craft, was to 
have the wheel. He gave a last look over the 
equipment. The next instant he uttered an ex- 
clamation of dismay. 

''The landing lever is gone he exclaimed. 

"What!'' the cry came from all three of his 
companions simultaneously. 

"It's gone!" cried the boy. "Look here, it's 
been unbolted from the sector. Boys, the trial 
trip is off if we can't find it." 

As it was the landing lever that controlled the 
descending impetus of the craft, it can readily be 
seen that it would have been foolhardy — suicidal, 
in fact — to have attempted to start without it. 

"It was here the last thing last night," cried 
Ned. "I know because I looked the whole craft 
over before I turned in." 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 155 

^^]ust the same, it is gone,^’ declared Tom. 

^'Somebody has taken it,’’ struck in Joyce. 

'‘Yes, somebody with a spite against us,” added 
Ned, and in his mind the thought of Sam Hink- 
ley flashed up. 

"Has anybody seen Sam about this morning?” 
he asked. 

No, nobody had. The boy had not put in his 
usual appearance, which seemed odd, for recently 
he had appeared to take more interest than usual 
in the Electric Monarch. 

"You surely don’t suspect ” began Tom. 

"I don’t know what to say,” interrupted Jack, 
"it looks odd, that’s all.” 

"But what object could he have had in taking 
it?” ask^d Tom. 

"Better ask Ned that,” was the response. "He 
told Ned he’d get even with him some time for 
giving him a lesson on the porch of the Hinkley 
House.” 

"Well, suspicions won’t find that lever,” said 


156 THE BOY lYYEXTOES’ 

Ned. ''Suppose we look for it. Let^s start a 
hunt.^^ 

"Not much use/' declared Joyce. "Whoever 
took that lever has hidden it where we can't find 
it." 

"I guess that's so," admitted Jack ruefully. 
"I don't want to accuse any one till we know, but 
it looks as if " 

A shout from beside the ship interrupted him. 
It was Jupe. He was pointing down the hill. 

"Gollyumption !" shouted the old negro, who 
had been an interested though inactive onlooker. 
"Hyar comes dat crazy Dutch kid!" 

Sure enough, up the hill was coming, as fast 
as his pudgy legs would carry him, the rotund 
form of the doughty inventor of the convertible 
sausage machine. 

"Bother him. We don't want that pest around 
now. Hullo! what's the matter with him?" 

For young Dill was waving his arms like a 
windmill. He dashed up, puffing like a locomo- 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEEOPLAXE 157 
tive, the next minute. It was plain he was wild- 
ly excited about something. But for some sec- 
onds he could only puff and gesticulate while his 
eyes rolled as if he had eaten something that had 
disagreed with him. 

‘What’s the trouble, are you sick?” asked Jack, 
looking down from the pilot house. 

“Aber-poof — Poys ! You haf missed idt some- 
dings — poof — from der — sheeps?” 

“Sheeps ?” exclaimed Tom, puzzled. 

“He means ship,” exclaimed Jack. “Say, fel- 
lows, he knows something about the missing 
lever. Is that it, Heiny?” 

“Ches. Der liver of der sheep iss gone, ain’d 
idt?” 

“It certainly has. Do you know anything 
about it?” 

By this time Heiny had recovered his breath. 
In a torrent of speech that nothing could stop 
he rattled off the story of the overheard conver- 
sation, of Sam’s treachery and of the way in 


158 


THE BOY INVENTOES’ 


which he had seemingly fallen in with the con- 
spirators' plans. Early that morning he had got 
out of bed and tracked Sam Hinkley to High 
Towers. He had watched while the treacherous 
youth had unscrewed the lever and then had fol- 
lowed him through the fields to an abandoned 
well into which the rascally boy had thrown it. 
During his narrative, Heiny gave a good de- 
scription of Hank Nevins and Miles Sharkey, 
from which Ned had no difficulty in identifying 
the plotters. The manner in which they had dis- 
covered his whereabouts, though, was, of course, 
a mystery to the lad. 

But there was no time to waste just then in 
discussing the best means of ensuring the punish- 
ment of the conspirators. The main desire of all 
the boys was to get back the lever and be off on 
the interrupted test. Under young Dill's guidance 
the old well was soon found. It was almost filled 
up with rubbish and it was an easy matter to get 
the lever out. 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 159 
don’t know how we can reward you for this 
service/’ Jack said to young Dill as they made 
their way back to the Electric Monarch. 

''Dere is an easy vay to do dot,” said the young 
German, with the air of one who already has his 
mind made up. 

"Well, what is it?” 

''Make me der mashed shot of der Elegdrig 
Monarch.” 

"The what?” Jack regarded the lad with a puz- 
zled look. Young Dill had certainly done them a 
splendid service and Jack, as they all did, wished 
to reward him for it in some substantial way. 

"Der mashed shot — der goot luck — der ” 

"Oh, the mascot!” cried Jack. 

"Dot’s idt. I make idt a fine mashed shot. I 
am strong. I am villing. I am an inventor, at 
large (undt schmall) und ” 

"But just what are the duties of a mascot? If 

V 

I make you one I’d like to be sure you understand 
them,” said Jack with a wink at his companions. 


160 


THE BOY IHVENTOBS* 


“Oh, dot VOS easy. Der dooties of a mashed 
shot are to sit in a corner undt keep making a 
noise like a rabbid's foot oder a horse’s-boot.'' 

“Horseshoe, I guess you mean. However, you 
seem to have a pretty good idea of the job and we 
can use you, anyhow, I guess.'" 

“Den I gedt der chob ?" 

“Yes, you are one of the crew of the Electric 
Monarch." 

“Hoch! Der Monarch!" shouted Heiny Dill, 
throwing his funny little “rudder" hat high in the 
air, “ven do vee start?" 

“Thanks to your clever detective work, right 
away." 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 


161 


CHAPTER XVII. 

OFF AT last! 

The frame of the Electric Monarch thrilled to 
the first impulse of her powerful motors. But 
that thrill was nothing to the sense of suppressed 
excitement that ran through the boys’ veins as 
Jack, with throbbing pulses, set the lever that sent 
the electric current into the driving machinery. 

Outwardly calm, every person on board stood 
at his station waiting the -word for the start. 
Tom Jesson was in the bow, Joyce, oil can in 
hand, was at the stern. Ned Nevins, pale but 
keeping a firm grip on his nerves, stood by the 
motors. His ''big moment” had come at last. 
The dream of Jeptha Nevins was to be put to the 
test. 

Heiny Dill had had a special office created for 
him at the last moment. He was, in addition to 


162 


THE BOY INVENTORS^ 


his self-conferred title of mascot, the '^chief cook 
and bottle washer” — in other words, the steward 
of the Electric Monarch. He felt the responsi- 
bilities of his office to the full as he stood with his 
rotund face stuck out of the port cabin window 
waiting for the start. He already had the elec- 
tric stove going and a big kettle of boiling water 
on it. Just why, he could not have said, but he 
felt that it was in line with his responsible posi- 
tion to be doing something. 

“Hold tight, everybody. We're going up!” 

The shout from the pilot house was like a bugle 
call. Each boy involuntarily straightened up at 
his post. The propellers beat the air faster and 
faster. On the “bridge deck” the boys held 
tightly to their caps. It was like being in a hurri- 
cane. The mighty power of the motors made a 
roaring noise, like the voice of a cataract. The 
craft shook from stem to stern like a live thing 
struggling against captivity. 

Suddenly there came a jerk and a yell from 


ELECTKIC HYDROAEROPLANE 163 
Heiny as, amidst a crashing of pots and pans, he 
was flung to the floor. On the “bridge deck'’ the 
crew hung on tight. Their faces showed the 
tense strain as Jack applied full power. 

Off like an arrow from a bow shot the great 
craft across the smooth slope leading down to 
the lake. The speed was terrific. The craft 
pitched and swayed so that it was only by holding 
on for dear life that the boys could keep their 
feet. 

“Ledt me oudt ! Ledt me oudt !" shrieked 
Heiny, from amidst the wreckage of his cooking 
utensils. “I don'd vant to be a mashed shot !” 

“Gracious, if we don't rise in a second we'll be 
in the lake !" cried Tom in dismay, but above the 
roaring of the motors and propellers no one heard 
him. But the same thought was in the minds of 
all. Ned, white as ashes, peered straight ahead 
as the massive craft dashed down the hill. Were 
all their hopes doomed to disaster, after all? 

In the pilot house Jack saw the impending dis- 


164 THE BOY INYEKTOES^ 

aster. He threw his entire weight against the 
lever that set the wings at a rising inclination. 
The device was new and stiff. His most strenu- 
ous exertions failed to move it. 

He heard a voice at his shoulder. It was Ned 
Nevins. He had guessed that something was 
the matter and had clawed his way into the pilot 
house down the pitching, swaying bridge. 

“The rising lever! Quick 1’^ he cried. 

“I canT move it. It’s stuck!” shouted back 
Jack. 

Ned braced his foot against the sector and both 
boys threw the last ounce of their strength into 
making the refractory bit of machinery move. It 
did, with a suddenness that threw them both to 
the floor of the pilot house. 

But the next instant they gave a glad shout of 
delight which echoed from one end of the craft to 
the other. 

The Electric Monarch was rising, shooting 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLA^s'E 165 
Straight upward toward the blue heavens at tre- 
mendous speed ! 

Jack scrambled to his feet like a shot. For one 
instant the Electric Monarch was shooting sky- 
ward without a guiding hand at the wheel. The 
next moment her young skipper/ with a firm 
grasp of the spokes, was directing her course due 
eastward toward the ocean. 

While he did this, Ned set to work with oil can 
and file on the lever which had so nearly caused 
disaster. He soon had it fixed and had taken to 
heart a lesson which had for its text, 'TCs the lit- 
tle things that count.'' 

''Gracious," he said to Jack, as they shot 
straight onward at a height the barograph 
showed to be 2,500 feet, ''that lever came near 
wrecking us." 

"Never mind that now," was the response, 
"just see how splendidly she is behaving. Ned, 
old boy, the Electric Monarch is a success. A 
bigger success than we dared to hope." 


166 


THE .BOY INVENTOES’ 


''She is indeed/' said Ned, almost reverentially, 
as he glanced down from the pilot house window 
at the landscape flying by far below them. It 
was his first experience in the air and he felt just 
a bit creepy and scared. 

But that feeling soon wore off, and before a 
glittering expanse of water in the distance 
showed them that the ocean lay before them, Ned 
Nevins, the virtual owner of the Electric Mon- 
arch, was at work on the motors, oiling and ad- 
justing as if he had been an engineer of a flying 
ship all his life. 

The motion of the craft was delightfully 
smooth and even. If it had not been for the furi- 
ous wind of the propellers, and the roaring of the 
motor, it would have been difficult to believe they 
were moving at all. Yet the speed indicator 
showed that they had attained a velocity of fifty 
miles an hour and their maximum speed had not 
by any means been reached. 

Jack knew that with new machinery it would 


ELECTKIC HYDROAEROPLANE 167 
have been risking over-heated bearings and all 
manner of engine trouble, to let the Electric Mon- 
arch out to her full capacity. 

Jack’s cheeks glowed and his eyes shone as the 
craft drove onward, with his firm hands on the 
controlling wheel. It was invigorating and 
blood-quickening to feel the way in which the 
Electric Monarch responded instantly to every 
move of the controlling devices. 

''Of course the Electric Monarch isn’t mine, 
nor have I any right to any share in her but the 
builder’s, and yet I can’t help feeling that we all 
have a part in her,” said the boy to himself. "That 
Jeptha Nevins must have been a wonder. If he 
had only lived, this would have been a proud day 
for him. He certainly left Ned a great legacy 

in those plans. I wonder ” 

Jack broke off short in his ruminations. The 
plans ! It was true they were in the safe at High 
Towers, but it was also true that just the moment 
before sailing they had learned that enemies were 


168 THE BOY INVENTOES’ 

interested in securing them. Enemies backed by 
powerful interests, too, judging by what Heiny 
Dill had said. 

A troubled look crossed Jack’s face. His fa- 
ther was ill. In case intruders gained access to 
the library, he could make but a feeble resistance. 
But the next moment he dismissed the thought as 
ridiculous. How could any one know where the 
plans had been placed? And even so, if an at- 
tempt was made to blow open the safe, the serv- 
ants would be bound to hear. 

''Just the same,” thought the boy, "I wish we’d 
notified the police before we started.” 

But at that moment a wind flaw struck the 
Electric Monarch and Jack’s attention was fully 
occupied in handling the craft as she heeled over 
like a ship in a heavy sea. When she was once 
more on an even keel, he had other matters to oc- 
cupy his mind. 


ELECTKIC HYDKOAEROPLANE 


169 


CHAPTER XVIIL 
, ned's terrible peril. 
iBeneath the Electric Monarch, soaring eagle- 
like far above it, a glimmering speck against the 
blue, lay the Atlantic. The ocean was in a calm 
mood. Viewed from above, its surface appeared 
to be as smooth as a mirror. 

But Jack knew that appearances were decep- 
tive. The Atlantic is never absolutely at rest. 
Even on the calmest days its bosom heaves with 
long, swinging swells, running shoreward to 
break in heavy, thunderous surf on the beach. He 
drew from a pocket beside the wheel the glasses 
with which the receptacle was equipped. 

Controlling the wheel with one hand, he raised 
the glasses to his eyes with the other. He gazed 
downward through them and saw that the sea 
was lazily swelling in long, oily combers, which 


170 THE BOY INVEYTOES’ 

could be ridden with ease even by a cockleshell of 
a boat, whereas the Electric Monarch was actual- 
ly two capable cabin cruisers fastened together 
Siamese-twin-like by ligaments of vanadium and 
steel and aluminum alloy. 

''It's safe enough to go down," said Jack to 
himself and sounded two blasts on the electric 
whistle. 

This was the signal to the engineer to come 
into the pilot house for a consultation. Ned soon 
presented himself. He was grimy but happy. 

"How's everything running?" asked Jack. 

"Smooth as oil. You'd think the motors had 
been in commission for a long time instead of be- 
ing on their initial trip." 

"That's good. I didn't have much fear but 
they would work all right. I'm going to try a 
drop, Ned." 

Jack watched Ned narrowly to see if the news 
had any effect upon him but Ned simply nodded 
his head in a business-like way and remarked : 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 


171 


''Very well, sir/' 

At this juncture the^**^ came a shrill whistle on 
one of the speaking tubes leading to the helms- 
man's wheel. 

"Hullo, there's Tom calling from the stern," 
cried Jack, "wonder what's up now." 

He placed the tube to his ear and then gave an 
exclamation of concern. 

"Oh, that's too bad." 

"What's the trouble?" asked Ned. 

"Why, Tom has an attack of air-sickness. It's 
pretty bad while it lasts, but fortunately it is soon 
over. I'm going to call him in to lie down in the 
cabin a while. Can you leave your motors and 
stand watch astern, Ned?" 

"Certainly. They're all right for half an hour, 
anyhow. The current's fine." The boy glanced 
at the indicator, which showed a strong, steady 
supply of "juice." Jack hailed Tom through the 
speaking tube and ordered him to come in at once 
and lie down. He then hailed Heiny, who by this 


172 THE BOY INVENTOES’ 

time had gotten over his first scare, and told him 

to get some hot coffee ready. 

''Tom will be ready for duty before long,^’ said 
Jack, as Ned left the pilot house, passing, as he 
made his way aft, Tom, who looked white and ill. 
But he assured Ned it was nothing, simply an at- 
tack of air-sickness which would soon pass over. 

Ned took up his place in the stern between the 
two long supporting frameworks of the rear pro- 
pellers. The wind was terrific but otherwise he 
felt no inconvenience except from the excessive 
vibration. He had not been standing there more 
than a few minutes, keeping a watchful eye all 
about him, when he noticed that the port stern 
bearing of one of the propellers was beginning to 
smoke. 

"Hullo! Wedl be having a hot box first thing 
we know,’' said Ned to himself. "I’ve got to oil 
that fellow and look sharp about it, too.” 

He glanced out over the path he would have to 
travel. Ned was a plucky boy, but he felt a qualm 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEEOPLANE 173 
pass through him as he looked. The propeller 
was fully ten feet out from the main structure of 
the craft and was supported by a thin framework 
of braces. 

The task in front of Ned was to straddle this 
framework and make his way aft to the heated 
bearing, with nothing but 2,500 feet of space be- 
neath his shoe soles. For a minute he felt tempted 
to ask Jack for instructions. But then his pride, 
always keen with Ned, came to his rescue. 

'T\\ do it,’^ he determined, taking a firm grip 
on his faculties. ''But it's going to be some job." 

He gripped his oil can firmly, resolved to waste 
no more time. Then clambering up to the frame- 
work, he straddled himself over the top part of it, 
holding on to the lower part of it as best he could 
with his feet. 

It was like riding a bucking broncho in mid- 
air. The gale from the big propellers swept 
around Ned like a hurricane. He felt his cap 
swept off his head and dared not look downward 


174 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

to watch it go hurtling toward the sea. He knew 

that the sight would be too much for his nerves. 

Rallying himself with an effort, Ned began his 
dangerous crawl along the framework. The 
further out from the main structure of the craft 
he got the more nerve-racking became the task. 
The slender framework shook and swayed as if 
it was determined to shake him off, and send him 
flying into space. 

Ned gripped his handholds till the paint flaked 
off on his palms. But little by little he managed 
to work his way toward the bearing. The pro- 
peller, a whirring blur before his eyes, dazzled 
him. The wind from it seemed to catch his 
breath and jam it back down his throat. He 
clung to his perch with the courage of despera- 
tion. 

At last he reached a point from which he could 
reach the bearing. He raised the oil cup and 
doused the smoking metal with oil. And then, 
his duty done, he was horrified to feel a sudden 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 175 
wave of deadly nausea sweep over him. The sea 
seemed to rush up toward him, and his senses 
swam in a wild delirium. 

‘T must get back! I must! I must!'’ he said 
to himself, and then the terrible grip of air-sick- 
ness descended upon him again and again, and de- 
prived him of all power to move. 

Almost three thousand feet in the air, perched 
on a slender, bucking framework, and a prey to 
the most severe form of air-sickness, Ned's posi- 
tion was perilous, indeed. 

Suddenly he felt his senses leaving him. For 
a second he fought against insensibility with all 
the power he possessed. But it overmastered 
him. Ned felt his head swimming round and 
round like a detached body in an aurora of blaz- 
ing light. All at once something seemed to give 
way. 

He felt himself falling! falling! 

Then a blackness like night shut down upon 
him and he knew no more. 


176 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

It was perhaps a quarter of an hour later when 
Tom presented himself to Jack and announced 
that he was fit for duty. 

^'Very well, Tom, go back to your post and send 
Ned to resume his.’' 

Tom left the cabin. In less than ten seconds 
he was back. His face was blanched and his lips 
white. Jack noticed he was trembling violently. 

'What in the world is the matter, are you ill?” 
demanded Jack. 

"No— no, it’s Ned.” 

"What’s up ? Anything the matter with him ?” 

"He’s — he’s g-g-g-gone !” 

"Gone!” 

"That’s right. I went aft and there was no 
sign of him. Joyce says nothing has been seen of 
him up forward.” 

"Great Scott!” 

The boys faced each other with the fear of a 
great calamity on their faces. If Ned was not on 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEEOPLANE 177 
board he must have fallen from the Electric 
Monarch while she was in mid-air. In such a 
case there was no need to debate over the fate of 
the young comrade they had grown to love. 

can’t leave the wheel, Tom, you must do 
what you can,” said Jack, his voice trembling in 
spite of himself. 

Tom stammered some reply and left the pilot 
house. He summoned young Dill. 

“Come aft with me,” he ordered. “We’re 
afraid an accident has happened.” 

“An accidend! vot sort of an accidend?” blurt- 
ed out the German youth. 

“We’re afraid that Ned Nevins has fallen over- 
board.” 

“Donnervetter !” 

“You must keep a cool head. Dill, and do what 
I tell you.” 

“I am as cool as a whole barrel of cucumbers,” 


was the reply. 


178 THE BOY mVENTORS' 

“Then come with me. There’s one chance in 
ten thousand that he may be on board and alive.” 

Silently the two made their way aft along the 
heaving, swaying bridge, a dreadful fear gnaw- 
ing at their hearts. 


ELECTKIC HYDROAEROPLANE 


179 


CHAPTER XIX. 

the: DISGRUNTTE:d cronie:s. 

To say that the departure of the Electric Mon- 
arch from High Towers had caused a sensation in 
Nestorville would be putting it mildly. The town 
simply went wild. 

School was dismissed, business came to a 
standstill, and the streets were thronged from 
end to end with excited townspeople. 

'What's the trouble?" demanded Hank Nevins, 
as the waitress dropped the plate of ham and eggs 
she was about to bring him and his worthy com- 
panion, Miles Sharkey, and regardless of the 
crash and the spatter, dashed into the street. 

"Hark, what's that they're calling out?" cried 
Hank suddenly. 

"Listen!" 

Miles put down his knife and fork which he 


ISO THE BOY INVENTOES’ 

had grasped expectantly and pricked up his ears. 
In another minute the cry, — which had grown 
to a roar, — came to their ears with the distinct- 
ness of a thunder clap and with much the same 
ei¥ect. 

''Airship ! — Airship ^ 

The cry reverberated through the village like 
a call to arms. Men shouted and women 
screamed while small boys went charging up and 
down with their heads in the air regardless of 
whom they bumped into. 

"Great Juniper !'’ gasped out Hank, spilling his 
coffee in his agitation, "do you suppose 

"I don’t suppose anything. Let’s make sure,” 
cried Miles. 

Hatless they rushed into the street but nobody 
paid any attention to their agitation. Everybody 
was equally excited. It was indeed a thrilling 
sight. Far above the heads of the gaping crowd 
an immense scarlet and silver shape was skim- 


ELECTPtIC HYDROAEROPLANE 


181 


ming on wings that shimmered in the bright sun- 
light. 

“Hurrah!'' yelled a man, and a hundred took 
up the cry half hysterically. 

“It's flying!" cried out an old lady, as if there 
was any doubt about it. 

“What is it?" asked somebody. 

“It's an airship," was the reply. 

“Wa'al, it ain't like any I've ever saw," came 
the response. “It looks as big as a house. It's 
got cabins on it, too." 

“Must be some more of the work of them boys 
up at High Towers," hazarded Schultz, the black- 
smith, who sometimes did odd jobs for the boys. 

“Like as not it is," agreed somebody else. 
“Them boys 'ull break their necks some day, 
sure." 

“You mean they'll make Nestorville famous," 
spoke up Schultz in the capacity of the boys' 
champion. “They're the brainiest kids in 
America to-day." 


182 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

“Oh, they don’t amount to very much,” came a 
sneering voice behind the sturdy blacksmith. 

He faced round instantly. The remark had 
come from Hank who, with Miles at his side, was 
watching the successful flight with what feelings 
may be imagined. 

Schultz looked angry and was not afraid to let 
his irritation show. Hank began to wish he’d 
kept quiet. 

“What was that you said, mister?” asked the 
blacksmith. 

“I just said anybody could do that who had the 
time,” said Hank, modifying his speech some- 
what. 

“Well, you couldn’t do it, mister; it takes 
brains to do anything like that. That lets you out.” 

The crowd in the vicinity began to titter. 
Hank hated being laughed at, and his anger made 
him imprudent. 

“That’s a stolen idea, anyhow,” he roared out 


ELECTKIC HYDROAEROPLANE 183 
at the top of his voice. ''The plans from which 
that airship was made belong to me.^’ 

"Hush! Are you crazy?'' exclaimed Miles, 
jerking Hank's sleeve. 

"No, I'm not! They do belong to me. That 
craft was designed by my father, Jeptha Nevins, 
and I can prove it, what's more." 

"If that's so, why didn't you build one your- 
self?" demanded Schultz. 

"I didn't have time to before thieves stole the 
plans. I'll get even, though. I'll fix 'em. They 
won't rob me !" 

"For heaven's sake, be quiet. Everybody's 
looking at you. You'll ruin our plans." 

Miles Sharkey impatiently jerked at Hank's 
sleeve. He would have liked to put an emphatic 
hand over his noisy companion's mouth. But 
Hank at last saw reason. As the Electric Mon- 
arch soared off into the distance, melting into the 
sky like a vanishing bird, he consented to allow 
Miles to lead him away. 


184 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

They had not gone very far when round a 
corner came Sam Hinkley. He was out of breath 
and much excited. 

''Did you see it?’^ he cried. 

"See it? Do you think we are blind roared 
Hank. "What kind of bungling is this ? Didn't 
you get the lever? How did they come to start?" 

"Just what rd like to know," said Sam with 
equal heat. "I did my part of the work all right. 
I detached the lever and hid it in an old well. 
They must have had another one some place and 
put it on at the last moment." 

"I guess that's it," said Miles pacifically, but 
Hank refused to calm down. It galled his bitter 
nature to the quick to see the Electric Monarch 
in successful flight when he had hoped and 
schemed for a failure. 

"I wonder what's become of the Dutchman," 
he snarled. "He's ten times brighter than you 
are, Hinkley," which, as we know, was perfectly 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEKOPLANE 185 
correct, though not in just the way Hank meant 
it. 

‘‘How do I know where your Dutchman is,’^ 
growled Sam, “I tell you Fm through with you. 
I risked a lot to steal that lever and this is all the 
thanks I get for it. Gimme my money.'' 

Hank affected great surprise. So did Miles. 
They both stared at Sam as if they thought he 
had suddenly taken leave of his senses. 

“Money? What money?" exclaimed Miles. 

“Why, the money for crippling the machine." 

A cunning smile crept over Miles's face. 

“Yes, the money for crippling the machine!" 
he sneered, “but you see, my young friend, you 
didn't do any such thing. In fact, for all we 
know, you never went near it." 

“So you're going to cheat me out of it, eh?" 
roared Sam. “But you won't. I'll see the police^ 
I'll " 

But he stopped short as Miles burst into a roar 
of ironical laughter. 


186 THE BOY I^^VEOTORS’ 

''See the police and tell them you didn’t get 
money for doing some crooked work! You’re 
considerable of a fool, Sam Hinkley, but I guess 
you aren’t fool enough for that.” 

As this was so beyond doubt, Sam had to con- 
tent himself with slinking off, muttering threats 
about "getting even” which the two conspirators 
did not much trouble themselves about. In fact 
they were beginning to worry about young Dill. 
It was past the hour when he had said he would 
meet them, and they began to feel uneasy. 

It was as well for their peace of mind that they 
did not know the true state of affairs, otherwise 
they would have suffered still more perturbation 
of spirit. 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEROPLANE 


187 


CHAPTER XX. 

TOM TO THE) RE:SCUE). 

With a feeling of anxiety such as he had never 
before known, Tom leaned out over the stern 
framework. He had hazarded a guess that Ned 
might have been rash enough to have attempted 
to gain the stern propeller bearings. 

But his surprise and relief were not any the 
less on that account when he saw, lying limp and 
senseless across the slender stern shaft supports, 
the body of his young chum, for such Ned had 
grown to be in their weeks of work and associa- 
tion. 

'"Great Glory!'' he exclaimed in his relief. 
"Heiny, hurray! he's alive. Had an attack of 
aif-sickness I guess, and it's knocked him out." 

But in the midst of his jubilation came another 
thought, — a reflection that sent the hot blood 


188 . 


THE BOY lYVEYTOES' 


curdling like ice water through Tom’s veins. Sup- 
pose the boy were suddenly to regain conscious- 
ness and, not realizing where he was, attempt to 
raise himself? In such a case he must inevitably 
be dashed to death through space. 

Still further reflection, after the first gush of 
his joy at finding his comrade alive had subsided, 
convinced Tom that to get him on board from his 
perilous position would be no mean undertaking 
in itself. Ned lay some eight feet out from the 
end of the ''running-bridge.” His inert form was 
balanced across the swaying, vibrating frame- 
work. Would that framework — it looked as 
slender as a spider’s web — bear the weight of the 
two boys? 

Tom thought it would. He knew the care with 
which every section of the Electric Monarch had 
been constructed. Every rivet and bolt in her 
had been tested and retested to three times the 
strain that would be placed upon it. 


ELECTEIC HYDROAEROPLANE 18 D 

'Til risk it” decided Tom. "Here, Heiny, hold 
my coat.'' 

He stripped off his khaki Norfolk swiftly and 
handed it to the German who, too stupefied by 
the sight of Ned's perilous position to say any- 
thing, stood gaping, open-mouthed, powerless to 
speak or move. He took Tom's coat mechanic- 
ally. Then speech came to him. 

"Vot you do, hein?" 

"Can't you see I'm going out there to get Ned 
on board again ?" 

"Himmel! You preak your neg/’ 

"I don't think so." 

So saying Tom cautiously got astride of the 
framework, and began worming his way toward 
Ned's still form. It was terrible work, but Tom 
knew that the return trip would be still more ac- 
companied by peril. Steeling himself to the task 
in hand, he worked slowly forward while Heiny 
stood petrified watching him. 

Foot by foot, or inch by inch, as it seemed to 


190 THE BOY IXYEYTOBS’ 

Tom, he drew closer to the form of the boy he had 
come to rescue. At last he could touch him and 
look into his white face. 

The boy lay as limp as a bundle, and in Tom's 
eyes it was better so. It made his task so much 
the easier. He extended his hands and got a firm 
grip on Ned's body. 

Then he began to work his way backwards. It 
was agonizing work. In order to keep Ned bal- 
anced on the narrow strut, he was compelled to 
use only his feet to steady himself. Both hands 
were required to hold Ned on the perilous perch. 
Tom dared not look downward. The thought of 
the profundity of space that lay beneath them 
made him sick and dizzy. 

Tom could never tell just how that journey was 
made. It was only a few feet, but it seemed like 
so many miles. Ever present in his mind, too, was 
the danger of Ned's regaining consciousness and 
making some sudden move. In such a case they 
might both be doomed to death. 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 191 

The wind from the propellers blew against 
Tom with vicious intensity. His legs ached as if 
they would drop off, for he had them alone to de- 
pend on both for balance and motion. But at 
last, somehow or other, he came within reach of 
Heiny Dill’s grasp. 

The German lad was ready. As Tom felt the 
last ounce of his strength oozing from him he 
felt, too, a strong grasp on his shoulders. 

'‘Stetty ! Stetty !” came a voice in his ears. 

‘T’m all right,” 'muttered Tom thickly. He 
helped Heiny drag Ned in to safety and then he, 
too, almost gave out. But he knew that Jack in 
the pilot house would be eagerly awaiting news. 
So putting aside his weariness he seized the stern 
speaking tube and sent the good news to the 
young commander. This done, Ned was taken to 
the cabin and restoratives administered from the 
Electric Monarch’s medicine chest, with which 
she had been provided in the anticipation that 


192 THE BOY lYYEYTORS' 

some day the boys might want to take a long voy- 
age. 

Ned, who was naturally full of vitality, was 
soon himself again and insisted on taking his 
watch at the motors. As for Tom, his buoyant 
nature took even less time in recovering from the 
strain that had been put upon it. We will leave 
it to the imagination what the boys had to say to 
each other when Ned learned that it was Tom 
who had saved his life at the risk of .his own. 

Not long after this Jack, who had taken the 
craft quite a distance out to sea, determined to 
turn back landward and make a swift flight home. 
He judged they had done quite enough to prove 
the Electric Monarch's worth and in this the 
others agreed with him. 

They were perhaps a mile off the shore when 
Joyce, on the lookout forward, gave a suddon 
sharp hail through the speaking tube. 

"'Ship below us, sir." 


""What is she?" hailed back Jack. 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 


193 


‘Xooks like a steamer. Passenger boat, I 
guess.'' 

‘T reckon I'll give her a call," said Jack to him- 
self as he hung up the tube. ''My ! won't her pas- 
sengers be surprised, though." 

He took out the binoculars and had a look at 
the steamer Joyce had made out. She was a fair- 
sized vessel with one black funnel amidships. 
Her white upperworks showed she was a passen- 
ger craft. 

Jack hailed Ned Nevins on the engine platform. 

"Put on your best bib and tucker, Ned, we're 
going calling." 

"Calling!" came back the astonished exclama- 
tion. 

"Yes, deep sea calling. Hail Tom and tell him 
to lock his prettiest. Too bad we didn't bring 
any cards." 


194 


THE BOY INVENTORS' 


CHAPTER XXI. 

SAI.UTING A STE:aME:R. 

The Electric Monarch gave a dive and a swoop 
that caused all Heiny DilTs qualms to come back 
tenfold. 

''Himmel! Ve are sinking. Man der boat- 
lifes!’’ he yelled, but nobody paid any attention 
to him and he speedily recovered his equanimity, 
and with his rotund face poked out of the cabin 
port watched, with as much interest as any one 
else on board, the approach of the steamer. 

‘'She's a Boston and Portland liner bound 
north," declared Jack to Ned Nevins who, as the 
motor did not need any attention just then, stood 
at the young skipper's side in the pilot house. 

“How can you tell ?" 

“By her smokestack. Black with a white 


band." 


ELECTEIC HYDROAEROPLANE 195 

On came the steamer as the Electric Monarch 
swooped downward in a graceful curve to meet 
her. As the hydroaeroplane commenced her 
dive, there burst from the steamer’s whistle a jet 
of white smoke. Immediately after, the boys 
heard the booming greeting of the vessel’s siren. 

Jack pressed the button that controlled the 
Electric Monarch’s siren and the next moment 
the hydroaeroplane was screeching an answer- 
ing salute. They were now quite close to the 
steamer and could see her uniformed officers on 
the bridge and her decks black with passengers, 
their upturned faces looking like white discs. 

''My! I’ll bet there’s a tall lot of speculation 
going on on board that craft right now,” said 
Ned, as the two boys gazed downward. 

"I guess you’re right. It isn’t every day that 
the passengers of a liner have a chance to see a 
craft like this in action,” was the response. 

Excitement did, indeed, appear to be rife on 
board the craft beneath them. Passengers could 


196 


THE BOY lYVEYTOES^ 


be seen clambering to all sorts of points of vam 
tage. Handkerchiefs were frantically waved and 
the ship’s whistle was kept constantly roaring sa- 
lutes. 

Astern of the Electric Monarch fluttered the 
Stars and Stripes. Jack snatched up the speaking 
tube connecting with the stern lookout post. 
When Tom responded he ordered him to dip the 
colors in response to the steamer’s salutes. 

A few moments afterward Jack and Ned saw 
the liner’s ensign glide slowly down the jack-staff 
and then ascend again as she acknowledged the 
mid-air courtesy. 

''Can’t we turn and follow her?” asked Ned, as 
the steamer, with a great creamy bow wave curl- 
ing away from her sharp cutwater, sped on her 
way. 

"Certainly. For a short distance, anyway. We 
might as well show them our paces.” 

Jack swung the Electric Monarch in a sharp 
circle and they could feel the equilibrium devices 


ELECTEIC HYDKOAEROPLANE 197 
grate and vibrate as the big craft was ^^banked’’ 
at a sharp angle. By this time the steamer had 
put quite an interval between herself and the 
Electric Monarch. But Jack let the hydroaero- 
plane out a notch more than he had been doing. 

The Electric Monarch answered the quickened 
impulses of her propellers like a race horse. In 
a flash, as it seemed, she was once more abreast 
of the steam vessel. 

'Xook,'’ cried Ned, suddenly, ''there's a man 
clambering up on the jack-staff." 

The venturesome passenger had gained the 
stern railing. He hopped to the top of it and 
then began to swarm up the jack-staff from the 
summit of which fluttered the flag. Holding on 
with one hand he waved frantically with the 
other. The boys were in the act of acknowledg- 
ing the salute when Jack gave a sharp cry. 

"Gracious! He's overboard!" 

Like a stone the man had suddenly dropped 
from the jack-staff into the swirling water astern 


198 THE BOY INYENTOES' 

of the steamer. How he had lost his hold was 
a mystery. It all happened in a flash. One sec- 
ond he was waving, the next they saw him fall- 
ing down into the sea and then the waters closed 
over him. 

The steamer’s whistle sounded in short quick 
jerks. It was the signal to man the lifeboats. 
The boys could see the passengers and the crew 
rushing about in seeming confusion, but in the 
case of the latter, as they knew, the apparent 
chaos represented order. 

And now, amidst the white, boiling wake of the 
vessel, they could make out the dark speck of a 
man’s head. He was swimming for his life, 
swimming desperately to avoid being drawn into 
the suction of the propeller. Jack’s hand sought 
a lever. 

Ned looked at him questioningly. But he did 
not speak. He was pretty sure in his own mind 
what the young skipper of the Electric Monarch 
was going to do. 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEROPLANE 199 

This belief was speedily verified. Jack drew 
back the lever and the planes took a downward 
slant. Simultaneously Jack flashed on the red 
lights that signaled to the stern and bow lookouts 
that a descent was to be made. Joyce in the bow 
and Tom in the stern had seen the accident, but of 
course had not left their posts. The flash of the 
red lamps at their stations apprised them that 
the Electric Monarch was about to make her first 
essay at saving life. 

Down shot the big craft with a swiftness that 
made it seem as if she must inevitably shoot 
straight to the bottom of the sea. Even Ned, 
secure as he felt while Jack had the wheel, flashed 
a doubtful look at the young skipper. But he 
said nothing and the next moment he was to be 
glad that he had remained silent. 

With iron nerve, Jack allowed the Electric 
Monarch to drop like a swooping fish eagle, and 
then, without the quiver of a muscle, he turned 
apparent disaster aside with a swift manipula- 


200 THE BOY lYYENTOES' 

tion of the leveling lever. The bow of the Elec- 
tric Monarch raised and struck the water at an 
angle that caused her to glide along the surface 
much as a newly launched vessel might take to 
sea. 

It was a masterly bit of handling. The spray 
flew high above the Electric Monarch, completely 
hiding her for an instant from the view of those 
on board the steamer. A great cry went up when 
it was seen that she was safe and riding like a 
duck on the heaving surface of the sea. To many 
of those on board it had appeared as if the big 
craft must have sunk. Their relief expressed 
itself in a mighty cheer. 

Those on board the Monarch felt no less relief. 
Tom and Joyce had stuck grimly to their posts 
but both had felt their hearts beat quicker as they 
neared the water. As it was, a good drenching 
was all they had received, and they had but scant 
time to give any attention to that, for Jack in- 
stantly headed the Electric Monarch in the di- 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLAiSrE 201 
rection in which the bobbing head of the swimmer 
had last been seen. 

Presently Ned gave a shout. 

mere he isT 

Sure enough, not twenty yards from the Elec- 
tric Monarch as she lay on the waves, was the 
form of the swimmer. 

''Stick it out! We'll get you!" shouted Tom, 
from his post astern. 

The swimmer waved a confident hand in reply. 
He did not appear at all incommoded by his ac- 
cident. On the contrary, he was swimming 
leisurely as if he rather enjoyed his bath than 
otherwise. The boys gazed at him in astonish- 
ment. Within the next few minutes they were 
destined to be yet more surprised. 


^02 


THE BOY INVENTORS’ 


CHAPTER XXIL 

AN OLD FRIEND. 

The surprise in store for them was this. The 
swimmer was an old friend of theirs. 

''Captain Sprowl!'’ shouted Jack, as they 
neared him. 

"Aye! aye! my hearty!'’ came back the re- 
sponse, in the old New Englander's hearty voice, 
"lay alongside and I'll come aboard." 

"What, you know him!" demanded Ned. 

"Do we? I should say so. He was in com- 
mand of Professor Dinkelspeil's yacht when the 
mutineers sunk her. After that he was with us 
all through that Amazon country I told you 
about." 

But it was no time to enter into explanations. 
The Electric Monarch was skillfully maneuvered 
alongside the doughty old mariner before the 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 203 
boats from the steamer had fairly left the vessel’s 
side. Tom, who had also recognized Captain 
Sprowl, ran forward from his post in the stern 
and threw him a line. Five minutes later they 
were all standing in the pilot-house listening to 
the captain’s story of how he had come to loosen 
his hold of the jack-staff and plunge into the sea. 

''You see, my hearties,” he said, "I was sure it 
was you in this here sky-hooting, sea-scooting 
contraption and so I says to myself, 'I’ll give ’em 
a proper salute, I will, ship-shape, man-o-war 
fashion.’ ” 

"Well, you certainly did. Captain,” laughed 
Jack, "but what in the world were you doing on 
that ship ?” 

The captain looked knowing. 

"I am on my way to Portstown, Maine,” he 
said. "There’s a big fair there next week and 
one of the features of it is to be an aerial carnival. 
I’m to be in charge of the airship part of it and 


204 THE BOY INYENTOES’ 

IVe booked some of the best aviators in the 
country/' 

The boys looked interested. Anything to do 
with airships always appealed to them. 

'Tt's just come to me/' resumed the captain, 
"'that maybe you'd like to bring this contraption 
up thar' and try for some of the prizes. What do 
you say?" 

It was characteristic of Captain Sprowl that, 
regardless of his wet clothes and recent narrow 
escape, he made no more of it than if everything 
was all right and he had come on board the 
Electric Monarch in quite the ordinary course of 
events. 

“Well, you see, Captain, this ship, the Electric 
Monarch we call it, isn't ours at all. It really 
belongs to Ned Nevins here." 

“That is, a share of it does," spoke Ned mod- 
estly. 

“Well, what does Ned say?" inquired the cap- 
tain, as Heiny entered the pilot house with steam- 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEEOPLANE 205 
ing hot coffee which Jack had ordered got ready 
as soon as they struck the water. 

‘'Ned says — yes!'’ responded the lad, “but how 
about you, Jack and Tom?" 

“So far as I'm concerned I think it would be 
a splendid thing," said Jack. “It would give us 
a chance to try out the Electric Monarch in com- 
petition with other air craft, and then, too, the 
voyage up there would put her through her paces 
in great shape. My answer is — yes." 

“Same here,'^ declared Tom with positiveness. 

• “Ches, dot suids me," said Heiny, balancing his 
tray like a born waiter while the captain gulped 
down his steaming coffee. 

“Then we'll call it settled," said the captain. 
“I'll send you entry blanks on my arrival at 
Portstown. Be ready to start as soon as possi- 
ble." 

“Don't worry about that. Captain," said Jack, 
“we certainly shall be ready." 

By this time the boats from the steamer had 


206 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

come alongside and the singular interview had to 

be concluded. 

^‘Well, I think it is safe to say that a business 
deal was never conducted under more curious 
auspices than this one/^ laughed Jack, as the cap- 
tain prepared to board one of the boats. guess 
you'd be ready to talk business if you fell out of 
a balloon, Captain." 

‘Tf there was an undertaker handy, I would," 
said the captain. And with a cheerful wave of 
his hand, the stout old seaman stepped into a 
boat and was rowed back to the steamer. 

As the vessel got under way again the Electric 
Monarch took to the air, rising as easily from the 
water as she had from the land. With parting 
cheers and mutual salutes the two craft parted, 
the steamer to resume her northward voyage, the 
Electric Monarch to turn homeward after an 
eventful trial trip which, so far as the boys could 
see, had been a success in every particular. 

On the homeward voyage some brisk breezes 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 207 
were encountered, but the Electric Monarch be- 
haved splendidly. A short distance outside the 
village of Enderby, Jack, who had surrendered 
the wheel to Ned, in order to initiate him into 
handling the craft that bore his name, spied a 
black dot in the distance. 

It was high in the air and traveling rapidly 
toward them. It was some minutes before they 
made out what it was. 

“A balloon!'’ They all made the discovery 
simultaneously. The big gas bag was traveling 
fast and on a course which would bring it across 
the Electric Monarch's bows. As it came closer 
they saw that it was colored a brilliant red and 
bore on the sides of its gas bag in huge letters, 
^‘New Yorker." 

"AVhy, that's one of the balloons that went up 
in that contest at New York," cried Jack. ''They 
started from Brooklyn last night. My! they've 
made good time." 

On came the balloon, driving fast. In it were 


203 THE BOY HSTVENTORS’ 

two men clad in khaki and wearing close-fitting 
caps. They waved frantically to the lads in the 
Electric Monarch and the hydroaeroplane was 
brought close alongside the balloon, keeping up 
with it easily. 

One of the men in the balloon basket snatched 
up a megaphone. Placing it to his lips, he 
shouted : 

'‘Ahoy! what craft is that?’’ 

"The Electric Monarch of Nestorville, Mass.,” 
rejoined Jack, in true air-sailor fashion. "What 
craft is that?” 

"The New Yorker, of New York, pilots Au- 
gustus Yost and Alan Frawley, will you report 
us?” 

"We sure will. When are you coming down ?” 

"We don’t know. This is an endurance race — 
we’ll keep up as long as possible. Good-bye.” 

"Good-bye,” and so ended a scene which ten 
years ago would have been scoffed at as impos- 
sible, yet it was only the other day that news- 


ELECTKIC HYDROAEROPLANE 209 
paper readers perused the account of an aero- 
plane towing a disabled dirigible into her han- 
gar. 

But we must now hasten home to High Towers 
with the boys. They arrived there without fur- 
ther incident, having made excellent time. The 
workmen who had been left behind were there to 
help them make a landing, and once more the 
Electric Monarch rested on dry land. 

Hardly had she touched the ground, however, 
before Jupe was seen running from the house 
at top speed. He was shouting something, but till 
he got close by they could not make out what it 
was. Then his words became clearer. 

'Tt's my father!'' cried Jack, in an alarmed 
voice. 

^ ‘What can be the matter?" cried Tom. 

‘T don't know, but it must be something seri- 
ous," declared Jack, with a pale face, as Jupe 
came panting up. 

“Oh, Massa Jack," he wailed, “yo' fadder am 


210 THE BOY INVENTORS' 

turrble sick, sah. Dey heard de bell ring an' 
hurry up to der liberry. Dey foun' him lyin’ on 
de fio’ widout his senses.” 

“Gracious !” cried Jack, “we must hurry to the 
house at once.” 

“An’ — an’ dat ain’ de wustest,” stammered out 
Jupe. 

“Well, what else?” 

“De do’ ob de safe done be open an’ it look lak’ 
some papers bin done taken out !” 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEROPLANE 


211 


CHAPTER XXIII. 
the; lost plans. 

But, for the time being, the condition of the 
safe did not occupy any place in Jack’s thoughts. 
His sole care was for his father. Hastening to 
the house at top speed, he found that Professor 
Chadwick had been placed in bed and a physician 
summoned. 

The doctor was coming out of the room just 
as Jack, with a pale, agitated face, came flying in. 

^'Oh! Dr. Goodenough,” he exclaimed, ^‘how 
is dad ? What has happened ?” 

‘^Be calm, my lad,” said the doctor kindly, 
placing a hand on the excited boy’s shoulder. 
‘Wour father has suffered nothing worse than 
an attack of vertigo brought on by overwork and 
study. A few weeks’ quiet will make him per- 
fectly well again, and then I shall forbid him 
overexerting himself.” 


212 


THE BOY INVENTOES’ 


''Can I see him?’’ asked Jack eagerly. 

"Not just now. He is still only partly con- 
scious. From what I can gather, the servant who 
answered the bell found him lying on the floor 
of the library unconscious. He was carried to 
his room, and I was sent for at once.” 

"When can I see him?” demanded Jack anx- 
iously, and Tom, who had now arrived, repeated 
the question. 

"Probably this evening, when I shall pay an- 
other visit.” 

"He is only suffering from vertigo, doctor?” 
asked Jack, with curious insistence, "not from 
any — any injuries?” 

"Injuries? I don’t understand you.” 

"He had not been in any struggle, then? 
That’s what I mean.” 

"Of course not. What an odd question !” The 
doctor looked at Jack quizzically. "I shall have 
you under my care next,” he said jokingly. 

"I thought that perhaps ” 


ELECTEIC HYDROAEEOPLANE 


213 


Jack hesitated. 

'"Go on, my lad. I can see there is something 
on your mind. What is it?'' 

'"Just this, doctor. Old Jupe, our colored man, 
told me that the door of the library safe, in which 
some valuable papers were deposited, was open 
when my father was found." 

The doctor's face grew serious. 

'T knew nothing of this," he said. ‘Were 
there any signs that a violent entry had been ef- 
fected ?" 

“That I don't know, doctor. Naturally I came 
here first to find out my father's condition." 

“It need give you no worry, my boy. I can 
assure you of that. Let us go to the library at 
once. What you have just told me may place a 
very different light on the matter." And the 
doctor's face grew serious. 

“How is your father. Jack?" 

Jack turned, and saw Ned Nevins, who was, 
by this time, one of the household, at his elbow. 


214 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

The boy’s face was troubled, for he had a genu- 
ine affection and. regard for the good Professor. 

''He has simply had a stroke of vertigo. It is 
nothing serious, Dr. Goodenough says. But, 
Ned, the safe ” 

"I know. I heard what Jupe said.” 

"Ned, the papers — your papers — may be 
stolen. How can I ” 

"Say nothing about it, Jack. So long as your 
father has not been injured I do not care. Do 
you think that gang of rascals would have dared 
to break in here?” 

"''Ve can’t tell anything till we have examined 
the library. We are going there now. Come 
along.” 

In the library everything was in order. The 
servant who had answered the bell was sum- 
moned and declared that things were exactly as 
they were when she replied to the Professor’s 
summons. He was lying at the foot of a desK 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 


215 


when she entered the room and was quite un- 
conscious. 

‘Xet us examine the safe/' said Dr. Good- 
enough. 

The door of the safe was ajar, and the servant 
declared that it had not been touched by any one 
since the discovery of the Professor's uncon- 
scious form. 

*'You are quite certain of this?" asked the 
doctor. 

''Oh, yes, sir. Positive." 

"Jack, where were the papers put?" 

"In a drawer inside the safe, doctor." 

The boy had swung the door of the safe open, 
and the next instant he turned a white, startled 
face on the others. 

"The drawer is empty. It has been robbed!" 
he exclaimed excitedly. 

"Keep cool, my boy," admonished the doctor. 
"You are sure the safe was closed when you 
left?'’ 


216 THE BOY INVENTORS' 

'1 shut it myself, doctor. There is not a chance 
that I could be mistaken.'' 

'‘And the combination?" 

'T gave it to my father with my own hands. 
It was the last thing I did before I left." 

"Then the safe could only have been forced 
open unless some one possessing the combination 
opened it." 

"That is the only way any one could have 
gained access to its contents." 

"And yet there is not the slightest evidence 
that these doors have been forced," said the 
doctor, who had been examining the safe. "This 
is a most mysterious occurrence." 

"How could the robbers have opened it?" de- 
manded Jack. 

"How did they get in, anyhow ?" Tom wanted 
to know. The boy had been looking about the 
room. "This window is closed and locked with 
a snap-lock on the inside. Uncle must have felt 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 217 
chilly and closed it, or was it shut when you left, 
Jack?^^ 

‘It was shut,’’ said Jack positively. “I recol- 
lect that, because I asked dad if he didn’t want 
it closed, and he asked me to shut it.” 

“There’s soft mould in the flower bed out- 
side,” struck in Ned. “If any one had come in 
that way they must have left their footprints on 
the dirt.” 

“That is so,” agreed the doctor. “Let us look 
at the ground outside the window.” 

But an examination of the flower bed only 
deepened the mystery. It was a bed about five 
feet wide, and there was no possibility of any 
one’s having stepped across it without leaving the 
imprint of his feet. It had rained two days be- 
fore, too, so that the ground was moist and would 
have readily retained any impression. 

Yet there was not the slightest trace of a foot- 
print to be seen. The little group exchanged 
puzzled glances. 


218 THE BOY INVENTOES' 

'Terhaps somebody got in by the front door/' 
suggested Jack, but on inquiry it was learned 
that Jupe had been busy polishing floors in the 
front part of the house most of the day, and 
nobody could have got past without being seen. 
The only other entrance to the house was by the 
kitchen, and the cook was certain that nobody 
had come in through her domain. 

As a last resort they examined the scuttle on 
the roof. It locked on the inside, and the fasten- 
ings had not been tampered with. Completely 
nonplussed, the investigators halted and talked 
matters over. Dr. Goodenough eventually de- 
cided to question Professor Chadwick that even- 
ing if he should be strong enough. 

As may be imagined, the mystery of the theft 
of the papers cast a gloom over the household. 
Jack felt that he was partly responsible, and said 
so to Ned Nevins. But the latter indignantly 
bade him to say nothing about it. 

‘Xet us be glad that the robbers did not injure 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEKOPLANE 219 
your father/^ he said. “The plans are gone and 
that is all there is to it.^' 

“But if they are not recovered, Ned, how can 
we ever make restitution to you?’^ 

“If they are not recovered we still have the 
Electric Monarch. We must hurry and draw up 
another set of plans based upon her structure 
and rush them through the patent office.’’ 

“That’s about the only thing to do,” agreed 
Jack ruefully, “but I can’t tell you how bad I 
feel, Ned, over the loss of your property which 
you entrusted to our care.” 

“Forget it,” said Ned boyishly, and, although 
the expression was slangish, it conveyed to Jack 
a sense of consolation, for he felt that Ned would 
never blame him for the loss of Jeptha Nevins’s 
lifework. 


220 


THE BOY INVENTORS' 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

A BAEFEING ROBBERY. 

Dr. Goodenough’s visit that night did not serve 
to throw any light on the mystery of the safe 
robbery. In the meantime the police had been 
summoned, and investigated the premises with- 
out getting any nearer a solution of the puzzle 
than the boys and Doctor Goodenough had done. 

Jack had taken it upon himself that afternoon 
before supper to telephone to the Hinkley House. 
He learned there that Sam' was out and not ex- 
pected back for some time. Heiny Dill was dis- 
patched to the village to learn further particu- 
lars, and returned with the report that Hank 
Nevins and Miles Sharkey had both left the 
Hinkley House shortly before his arrival on the 
scene. 

The young amateur detective had trailed them 


ELECTEIC HYBEOAEEOPLANE 221 
as far as the depot, only to find that they had 
taken the train bound south a few moments be- 
fore he arrived. He had learned, however, that 
they had spent most of the day previous to their 
departure in the hotel. This only served to make 
matters the more baffling. 

By common consent, whether justly or un- 
justly, the boys had been inclined to suspect either 
Hank or IMiles with being concerned in the rob- 
bery. But it seemed that they had a complete 
alibi. Sam Hinkley, too, had been seen about 
the village on and ofif most of the day, and thus 
he also was eliminated. But the boys had not 
suspected Sam in the matter, anyway, so this 
information was not a surprise to them. 

''This is a mystery for fair,’' declared Jack, 
when Heiny Dill had duly reported the facts to 
him. "Fellows, we are stumped.” 

"Possibly to-night your father will be able to 
talk and throw some light on the matter,” sug- 
gested Ned. 


222 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

“Perhaps so. I am sure I hope that he will. 
A mystery like this gets on your nerves. The 
only people I can think of who knew of the ex- 
istence of the plans, except ourselves, are Hank 
and his friend Sharkey. From what you say of 
them, Ned, I guess they wouldn't stick at any- 
thing; from what Heiny Dill has found out we 
know it was impossible for them to be here at 
about the time of the robbery. Dad was found 
unconscious about an hour after we left. At 
that time Hank and his friend were in the vil- 
lage. They were seen there^alking to Sam Hink- 
ley." 

“If we could get hold of Sam maybe he could 
tell us something," suggested Tom. 

When Dr. Goodenough arrived that evening 
he informed Jack that Professor Chadwick had 
sufficiently recovered to be able to talk. With 
what eagerness they all awaited the outcome of 
that interview may be imagined. But so far as 
helping to clear up the mystery was concerned, 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 223 
Professor Chadwick was as powerless as any of 
them. 

''After Jack had closed the window and left/’ 
he said, "I lay down upon the lounge. After a 
time I felt better and thought I would get a book. 
I rose from the couch and went toward the book- 
case. I can recollect nothing more till I found 
myself in bed with Dr. Goodenough in attendance 
on me.” 

"Nothing else at all?” gently urged the doctor. 

"Nothing except that Jupe came in to tell me 
that the Electric Monarch had started success- 
fully on her maiden voyage.” 

"You can recall nobody attempting to force the 
window or open the safe?” 

Professor Chadwick shook his head positively. 

"Nothing like that at all, doctor,” he said, with 
conviction. 

"And nobody but Jupe entered the room, to 
your knowledge ?” 

"Nobody,” declared Professor Chadwick, "and 


224 


THE BOY INYENTOES’ 


I think we can safely leave Jupe out of the ques- 
tion/' 

Late that night Jack called up the Hinkley 
House and discovered that Sam had not returned. 

“I thought he was up to your place," said Land- 
lord Hinkley. 'HVe no idee whar' the boy hes 
gone. He ain't often out this late at night. I 
hope he ain't up to any monkey shines. If he be, 
I'll whale him good, big as he be." 

Jack decided that it was no use telling Sam's 
father of all that had occurred since the morn- 
ing. But when he hung up the receiver he was 
a sadly perplexed boy. When Heiny Dill de- 
parted for the hotel that night he promised to 
find out what he could. On his return the next 
morning he reported that a wire had been re- 
ceived from Sam, who said that he was going 
to New York. Landlord Hinkley found, inci- 
dentally, that the funds to finance Sam's journey 
had been taken from his cash drawer. This was 


ELECTKIC HYDROAEROPLANE 225 
the sum total of young DilRs information, and 
it was not enlightening. 

In fact, it complicated the puzzle, for if Sam 
was not implicated in the robbery, and there was 
nothing to make them believe that he was, there 
was no apparent reason why he should decamp so 
suddenly, unless he feared that he might be pros- 
ecuted for the theft of the lever. The boys, 
therefore, were forced to conclude that this was 
the reason for Sam’s flight. 

As for the sudden departure of Hank and 
Miles Sharkey, that was more understandable. 
They had practically hired Sam to make his des- 
perate attempt to cripple the Electric Monarch, 
and knew that their plans must have been foiled 
when they saw the craft take to the air. This 
being so, they had probably argued that Sam 
would be arrested and would implicate them. 
Flight, then, must have seemed to them to be 
their wisest course. 

And so, for the present, the mystery of the 


226 


THE BOY INVEYTOKS’ 


Stolen plans had to be given up by the police and 
those most interested in the recovery of the 
papers, as an unsolvable puzzle. Of the startling 
way in which it was to be cleared up, none of 
those concerned had the slightest inkling. From 
day to day the boys feared to hear of the plans 
being filed in the patent office. But, although 
through Prof. Chadwick’s patent lawyers in 
Washington, they kept in constant touch with 
the National Capital, no such papers turned up. 
In the meantime the boys busied themselves mak- 
ing as complete a set of duplicate plans as pos- 
sible, covering every patentable feature of the 
Electric Monarch. 


ELECTEIC HYDROAEROPLAISrE 


237 


CHAPTER XXV. 

OPE TO THE PAIR. 

Two days after the mysterious disappearance 
of the plans of the Electric Monarch the prom- 
ised entry blanks for the Aero Carnival at Ports- 
town arrived. Inclosed with them the worthy 
captain had sent a copy of a Portstown news- 
paper in which there was announced in flaring 
capitals the following: 

‘'Captain Abe Sprowl, in charge of the Aero 
Carnival, announces that he has engaged, at un- 
precedented expense, the newest marvel of the 
air, the motor-driven hydroaeroplane. The Elec- 
tric Monarch, owned and invented by Ned 
Nevins, the youthful inventor. The machine will 
make a flight from Nestorville to the show 
grounds, and will be on view daily during the 
carnival.^' 


228 


THE BOY INYEYTOBS^ 


‘'Well, what do you think of that?^’ gasped out 
Jack, as he read this flamboyant announcement 
out aloud to his companions. “As a press agent 
Captain Sprowl is certainly a wonder. It looks 
as if we’d have to go now, boys, doesn’t it?” 

“It sure does,” agreed Tom, “but I wish he 
hadn’t run that fool nptice. We don’t want all 
that notoriety just now.” 

“No, indeed. Not till the plans are all safely 
filed in the patent office,” agreed Ned, with a 
serious look. “Queer, that whoever took the 
other set hasn’t tried to place them on record 
yet, isn’t it?” 

“Yes, I can’t understand it,” agreed Jack; “it 
looks as if they had something up their sleeves 
that we know nothing about. However, there 
is no use worrying over it. I guess we ought to 
be thankful that things are as they are.” 

Heiny Dill arrived a few moments later. In 
honor of his new job he had purchased a more 


ELECTBIC HYDROAEROPLANE 229 
flaring tie than ever, and his socks were of a 
lurid purple. 

‘'Any news of Sam, Heiny?’' inquired Jack, as 
the young German sauntered up, whistling 
blithely, to where the lads stood grouped about 
the Electric Monarch, on which some minor ad- 
justments were being made. 

“Nodt a vord,” responded young Dill, “he hass 
made idt a vanishment as if he hadt dropped der 
eardt off.’’ 

“Well, I don’t hear any complaints about his 
absence,” declared Tom. “So far as we are con- 
cerned we don’t care if he never comes back. 
I’m sorry for his father, though.” 

“Veil, der oldt man is bearing oop midt re- 
margable composure alretty,” declared Heiny, 
cocking his head on one side and giving a “yodle” 
more remarkable for vigor than harmony. 

“When do we start, fellows?” asked Jack that 
afternoon when he had filled out the entry blanks 
and they had been mailed by Heiny Dill. 


230 THE BOY lYVEYTOBS' 

“The Electric Monarch is ready to go this 
minute/' said Tom. “I was just talking to 
Joyce." 

“Then what do you say about to-morrow?" 
asked Jack. 

“Suits me," said Ned, who wanted nothing bet- 
ter than to be riding in the Electric Monarch 
again. 

“Me, too," said Tom. “I'm tired of being on 
terra firma” 

So it was arranged that the start for the Ports- 
town Fair should be made the next morning. 
Professor Chadwick was still too weak to attempt 
to accompany the boys, but he wished them all 
sorts of luck and a good time. 

“We're sure to have a good time, anyhow," 
Tom assured him. 

Till late that night the boys worked on stock- 
ing up the larder of the Electric Monarch with 
all manner of canned foods. Heiny Dill, who 
was as fond of good things as most boys, watched 


ELECTEIC HYDROAEROPLANE 231 
these preparations with glittering eyes. He 
smacked his lips visibly as he stowed away the 
provisions on shelves in his domain. 

The boys slept little that night, awaking early 
to find it a slightly overcast morning with a 
promise of fair weather later on. There was 
but little wind, however, and everything ap- 
peared to be propitious for a speedy, uneventful 
voyage to Portstown. 

Before leaving, Jack affixed to the ‘ffiaviga- 
tion-desk,'’ in the pilot house, an ‘‘aerial map’^ of 
the route. This was a map on which various 
landmarks, easily discernible from a height, 
were noted down, and it was issued by the Aero- 
nautical Society of America. Maps such as these 
are of the utmost use to airmen who naturally 
would find little to guide them in an ordinary 
map or chart. Marked in red ink on the aerial 
map were various arrows showing the probable 
direction of the wind in crossing various bits of 
high ground or in passing over cities. 


232 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

The air is by no means, as might be imagined, 
a smooth road to travel. It is full of ''billows,’’ 
aerial "cliffs” caused by up-drafts, and vast, 
empty pockets wherein nothing but a vacuum ex- 
ists, and which many airmen claim are the great- 
est source of danger to aviators that the atmos- 
phere contains. 

As there was nothing to cause delay, the Elec- 
tric Monarch’s motors were started spinning al- 
most as soon as it was broad daylight. Every- 
thing proved to be in perfect order, and after the 
tuning-up process the boys took their stations on 
the craft. As before, Joyce had the bow lookout 
and Ned Nevins alternated between the pilot 
house and the motor-platform. 

Professor Chadwick and Jupe waved them 
farewell as they shot upward, and before very 
long the village of Nestorville and High Towers 
lay far behind them. Jack sent the Electric Mon- 
arch straight up on an inclined aerial staircase 
till she had gained the height of five thousand 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 233 
feet. At this altitude they proceeded steadily 
along, the height being sufficient to avoid any 
danger from upward thrusting air currents. 

The morning passed uneventfully, and shortly 
before noon Heiny Dill announced that lunch 
was ready. They took this in relays, Ned re- 
lieving Jack at the wheel while the young skipper 
ate. They passed over several towns and small 
villages, and through the glasses they could 
plainly see the flurry they were causing down 
below. It amused them to watch the scurrying 
atoms which they knew were human beings rush- 
ing about and pointing upward as the Electric 
Monarch passed high above their heads. 

Not long after lunch, as they were passing over 
what seemed to be a large farm, they saw several 
men running along below them. Suddenly one 
elevated and aimed a gun at the fast flying craft. 
Of course the Electric Monarch was far too high 
for the charge to reach her, but the boys could 
see the puff of smoke that accompanied the dis- 


234 THE BOY INVENTORS' 

charge, and knew that if they had been lower 

they would have felt shot pattering about them. 

^'That’s a specimen of what Atwood, the trans- 
continental flier, had to contend against,’^ said 
Jack. ''The more ignorant people are, the more 
they dislike to see modern inventions. Til bet 
if that fellow with the gun could have hit us he 
would.’’ 

"His intentions seemed serious, anyhow,” 
laughed Ned, "but the Electric Monarch is a hard 
bird to bring down.” 

About an hour later Jack decided to drop down 
closer to the earth. He wished to test the effect 
of the currents near to the heated surface on the 
Electric Monarch. Accordingly the craft was 
brought down till at times she was rushing along 
at not more than two or three hundred feet from 
the earth. 

They were flying over a large, prosperous- 
looking farm at a fair rate of speed when there 
came a sudden check in the air craft’s movement. 


ELECTEIC HYDROAEKOPLANE 235 
She plunged violently and pitched forward as 
if about to capsize. 

''It's the grapnel line!" shouted Ned, "it's got- 
ten loose and hooked on to the roof of that barn 1'^ 

At the same instant there came a sound of 
rending and tearing wood as the steel points of 
the grapnel dug into the roof of a rickety old 
barn and tore it loose from the rafters. Jack 
acted like a flash. He set his descending planes 
and came to earth in a beautifully executed dive 
in a stubble field just beyond the farm buildings. 

"The grapnel must have torn loose from its 
fastenings," he said; "lucky it was no worse. 
As it is " 

He broke off short. Running toward them 
from the farmhouse came the farmer and two of 
his hired men. The farmer carried in his hand 
a formidable looking gun. As he drew close to 
the boys he leveled it at them. At the same time 
he cried out angrily : 


236 


THE BOY lYYENTORS’ 


''Stay right where ye be. Don'cher move, dog- 
gone yer, er ITl shoot.^^ 

The look in his eye, as well as the menace in 
his voice, convinced the boys that the threat was 
no idle one. The man was thoroughly angry 
over the accidental damage to his barn. On he 
came with leveled gun, shouting threats, while 
the two hired men kept up a steady accompani- 
ment. 

"Well, this is a fine fix,’’ commented Jack. "I 
guess we’ll have to settle for that roof before we 
leave here.” 

"You kin jes’ bet ye’ll hev ter,” roared the 
farmer, who had overheard him. 


ELECTEIC HYDPtOAEEOPLAEE 


237 


CHAPTER XXVI. 

AN UNIvUCKY MISHAP. 

'^Thafs all right, sir. WeTe willing to pay 
you whatever is right for the damage we have 
done,'' said Jack, in as pacific a voice as he could 
assume. 

''Fine times these be when a passel of kids kin 
come along in a flyin' contraption an' take off a 
man’s roof!" exclaimed the angry farmer, far 
from being pacified. 

"It was an accident," declared Jack; "we are 
just as sorry for it as you are." 

The farmer in his rage had paid not the slight- 
est attention to the Electric Monarch, but his 
two hired men stood looking at it with open 
mouths. They had never seen anything like it, 
and the farmer's orders to them to "close up" 
fell upon deaf ears. 


238 


THE BOY lYVENTOBS’ 


''Accident be dol-dinged/' exclaimed Farmer 
Turpin angrily; "it warn’t no accident. You 
done it a-pupose.'' 

"We certainly did not/' replied Jack, with 
some heat. "Do you suppose we’d want to wreck 
our craft for a rotten old roof?” 

"Rotten old roof!” bellowed the farmer furi- 
ously. "I’ll show yer how rotten it was. It’ll 
cost yer a hundred dollars fer ther damage you’ve 
done.” 

"Ridiculous,” said Jack, who had been looking 
at the damaged roof. It was old and moss-grown 
and had covered one of the oldest buildings on 
the farm. 

The boards of the antiquated structure were 
split and paintless. Wind and weather must 
have had their way with it for many years. Jack 
pointed out these facts to the irate farmer. But 
he proved recalcitrant. 

"I want a hundred dollars fer thet thar roof er 
you don’t go on,” said he. 


ELECTKIC HYDROAEROPLA^^E 239 

‘^Rubbish. See here, we don^t want to do dam- 
age and not settle for it, but that isn’t to say that 
we can be bled like that. We’re not so foolish. 
I’ll give you twenty-five dollars for that six feet 
or so of roof we’ve injured.” 

An obstinate look, an expression of fixed stub- 
bornness, came over the farmer’s face. 

''I got yer here an’ yer goin’ ter pay my price. 
Ther justice of ther peace here ain’t friendly to 
automobuls and sich-like, an’ I reckon ef I say 
so he’ll give yer all a week in jail as well as a 
fine. How’d you like that, hey?” 

‘'Threats like that don’t frighten us,” said 
Jack stoutly, although inwardly he began to feel 
somewhat worried over the prospects ahead. If 
the farmer proved as pig-headed as seemed likely 
it might mean that they would have to pay his 
outrageous price or else be sent to prison by 
some cross-grained old justice of the peace. 

Of course the boy felt that the farmer’s threat 
was more or less of a “bluff,” but still he knew 


240 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

from experience the prejudice that a great many 
people, especially in remote parts of the country, 
still felt against automobiles and every innova- 
tion of that type. 

^^Don’t scare you, hey?’’ sneered the farmer. 
'^Wa’al, I cal’kerlate ter put quite a change in yer 
feelings afore long. Climb down out ’er that 
thar sky-buggy an’ look slippy.” 

The boys held a hasty consultation. Things 
began to look bad. 

''Maybe we’d better pay the old wooden-head 
his hundred and be getting on,” said Ned. "We 
don’t want to be arrested or anything like that.” 

"I think that’s all a bluff,” said Jack. "Still, 
if we humor him it may be better than to fight 
him.” 

"Wa’al, are yer cornin’?” demanded the 
farmer. 

"Oh, dry up,” growled out Joyce, unable to 
contain himself any longer. 

"Dry up, hey?” snorted the farmer. "I guess 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEROPLANE 241 
you’ll do the dryin’ yerselves. I wouldn’t take 
no money now. It’s satisfaction I want. I’ll hev 
the whole passel of yer up afore the squire in the 
morning.” 

This certainly looked ominous. The man was 
clearly as stubborn as one of his own oxen, and 
had made up his mind to be as ugly as he could. 
Jack wished that Joyce had not made his unfor- 
tunate remark and tried to smooth matters over. 
But it was no use attempting to calm the ruffled 
feelings of the angry agriculturist. 

‘'Climb out of thar now and be right smart 
about it,” he snorted. ‘T’ll show you thet you 
can’t sass Si Turpin and not suffer for it.” 

“But, see here ” began Jack. 

“It ain’t no use argyfyin’, young feller. The 
whole passel of yer goes over to Mill Creek in 
ther mornin’ I reckin the squire ’ull give you a 
lesson you won’t fergit.” 

“Can’t you be reasonable?” struck in Tom. 
“We’re on our way to Portstown. It’s important 


242 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

that we hurry up. WeVe got to be there at a 

certain time.'’’ 

don’t give a hoop in Hannibal what ye’ve 
got ter do!” snorted the farmer. "‘You’ve got 
to go afore the squire fust. Reckon he’ll soak yer 
good. He gave a party of automobubblists a 
good dose last week. I reckon he’ll be all cocked 
and primed fer you sky-buggy fellers.” 

“Well, I guess it’s a case of pile out,” said 
Jack, with a rueful grin. “This old fellow is as 
obstinate as a mule. We can only hope to make 
a good impression on this squire, whoever he is.” 

“To judge from his description,” said Tom, 
“he must be a nice, whole-souled old party.” 

“No palaverin’, now. Git right out. I’ll fix 
you up with quarters in the barn where you won’t 
git out, and give yer the rogues’ march in the 
morning.” 

There was no help for it. One by one they 
clambered out, while the hired men stood by with 
broad grins. They were delivered over to these 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEROPLANE 243 
representatives of the enemy while Farmer Tur- 
pin marched grimly behind with his gun. 

'‘Take 'em to the red barn, Reuben," he or- 
dered, and the boys were presently marched into 
a large barn partially filled with hay. 

"Now I guess ye'll stay put for a while," re- 
marked the farmer, with grim humor, as he pre- 
pared to close the door. 

"You old clod-hopper, for two cents I'd bust 
that hook nose of yours in," roared out Joyce 
angrily. 

"That'll be used agin' yer at yer trial!" de- 
clared the farmer malevolently. "Yes, sir, that'll 
be used agin' yer. Threats of violence, hey? Oh, 
the squire will fix you fellers good and plenty." 

The doors were banged to and padlocked on 
the outside. For some time they could hear the 
farmer pacing up and down as if waiting to see 
if they would not make some further complaint. 
But they all remained silent. They were deter- 
mined not to give him the satisfaction of thinking 


244 THE BOY INVEHTOES’ 

that he had worried them. Heiny Dill even be- 
gan to sing to himself. 

By and by the steady pacing of the farmer’s 
feet outside died away. 

guess he’s gone to eat supper,” said Tom. 
“My ! how hungry I am.” 

This reminded all the others of their appetites, 
too. 

“Maybe he’ll send us something to eat,” sug- 
gested Ned hopefully. 

But his optimism was not to be rewarded. It 
grew dark and the captives in the barn sat sup- 
perless and disconsolate. They did not face a 
pleasant prospect, supposing the squire to be all 
that he had been represented by the malevolent 
old farmer. 

How long they sat thus they did not know, but 
on Jack’s suggestion they were about to find 
themselves beds in the hay when there came a 
tapping at the barn door. 

“Supper !” cried Tom, but it wasn’t, it was the 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 245 
man called Reuben, or Reuben Rugg, as he an- 
nounced himself. 

‘What do you want?^’ asked Jack. 

“Be you fellers goin' ter Portstown?^’ 

“We were.’^ 

“Well, if a feller let you fellers out would you 
give a feller a ride to Portstown if a feller wanted 
ter git thar’ 

“We sure would, Reuben. Who wants to go 
to Portstown?’’ 

“I’m ther feller that would like ter go with 
you fellers. I don’t want ter work fer this feller 
any longer an’ if I got to Portstown I’ve got a 
feller thar’ thet’s a kind uv er brother-in-law ter 
me. So if you fellers want ter git out, this feller 
’ull steal the key when old Turpin’s asleep and 
turn you loose.” 

“Gk)od for you, Reuben. How long will it be 
before old Turpin, as you call him, goes to bed?” 

“Jes’ as soon as he gets through writing out 
what he calls a commitment agin’ you fellers. I 


246 THE BOY INVENTOES’ 

reckon it \\d go hard with you if you was ter be 
taken afore the squire. He's a larruper, the 
squire is. He give me a month once fer takin' 
too much red-eye and lickin’ ther constabule.” 

^Well, you watch and wait, Reuben,” said 
Jack ; ''we'll be all ready when you are.” 

They heard Reuben's heavy footsteps retreat- 
ing, and then followed a period that seemed years 
in extent. But at its termination Reuben's cau- 
tions voice was heard. 

"I'm agoin' ter open ther door now. Be you 
fellers ready?” 

"We've been ready for the last ten years,” de- 
clared Tom, referring to the length of time it ap- 
peared that Reuben had been gone. 

The lock clicked and the doors swung open. 
One by one they cautiously filed out and tip-toed 
across the yard to the place where the Electric 
Monarch lay bulked in dark shadow. Luckily, it 
was moonlight, and the craft lay in a sixty-acre 


ELECTEIC HYDKOAEEOPLANE S4? 
field so that there was plenty of opportunity to 
get a good start. 

“Old Turpin didn’t monkey at all with the ma- 
chine, did he, Reuben?” asked Jack, as they crept 
along. He was not quite sure how far the farm- 
er’s malevolence might have led him. 

Reuben gave a suppressed chuckle. 

“Turpin touch it? Not him. He wanted to, 
but the old woman told him thet ef he did as like 
as not he’d get electric — something or other.” 

“Electrocuted ?” 

“Likely. Say, be you really going ter Ports- 
town ?” 

“Certainly. You’re not scared, are you?” said 
Jack with an inward smile. 

“Naw, but I got a funny kind ’er prickly feelin’ 
down my back like what I git when straw gits 
down my neck in threshing time,” admitted Reu- 
ben with a nervous giggle. 


US 


THE BOY INVENTOKS’ 


CHAPTER XXVII. 

A DASH FOR FIBFRTY. 

As silently as possible the escaped captives 
made for the Electric Monarch. They had al- 
most gained the side of the craft when an unex- 
pected obstacle barred their further progress. 
The interruption was in the form of a big white 
bulldog. 

''Gosh all hemlock gasped Reuben, "I plumb 
forgot about old Lion.^^ 

"Is he mean?’’ asked Tom. 

"Mean, wa’al he’s a sight meaner than old 
Turpin hisself, and thet’s a-goin’ some.” 

As if to show that his character had been de- 
scribed correctly. Lion gave a low growl and 
then, without any further warning, sprang 
straight at Jack. The boy jerked up his foot and 
caught the animal under the chin. With a yap- 



“Maw ! Maw !” They heard him yell at the top of his lungs, 

“the boys is got out”. Page 249 





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ELECTEIC HYDEOAEEOPLANE 249 
ping bark it tumbled back, but collected itself in 
an instant for another spring. 

At the same instant the boys heard a window 
go up in the farmhouse. 

'‘Wow!’' exclaimed Tom, "about this time 
watch out for trouble.” 

"Lion! Lion!” came a voice which they rec- 
ognized as Turpin’s. 

The dog gave a yapping bark. Simultaneously 
old Turpin must have seen, by the moonlight, that 
the barn door in which the boys had been confined 
was open. 

"Maw ! Maw !” they heard him yell at the top 
of his lungs, "the boys is got out, gimme my 
gun !” 

Lion at the same instant decided to make an- 
other attack, but in the brief pause while he was 
listening to his master’s voice Tom had taken 
time by the forelock and picked up a big rock. 
As Lion made another spring Tom flung the 
rock. 


250 


THE BOY lYA^EHTOBS’ 


There was a howl of dismay from Lion, who 
rushed toward the house. Shouts and cries filled 
the air. 

‘'Maw ! the young varmints hev killed Lion 

‘Taw, take arter 'em. Hev'the law on 'em." 

Then came another feminine voice. 

“Look out, paw, they're des'prit characters. 
They might kill you." 

“That's the old man's darter. Teaches school," 
said Reuben laconically, “we'd best be lighting 
out o' here." 

They scrambled on board in less time than it 
takes to tell it. Jack jumped for the controls and 
turned full power into the motor. There was a 
yell of dismay from Reuben as the Electric Mon- 
arch leaped forward like a horse under the lash. 
The amazed farm hand would have rolled over- 
board had it not been for Tom, who grabbed him 
by the collar as he lost his balance and fell sprawl- 
ing on the bridge. 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 


251 


^‘Hey ! Whoa thar’ ! Come back, you young 
varmints 

The voice of Farmer Turpin came shrilly out 
of the night. Then behind them came a streak of 
flame and the roar of an explosion. Looking 
backward they could see the figure of the farmer 
sprawling on his back, kicking and yelling fran- 
tically. 

''Gosh ter mighty,*' exclaimed Reuben, who 
was by this time on his feet, "the old man fired 
both barrels of his scatter gun ter oncet." 

"Up we go!" cried Jack, and almost simultane- 
ously, with his exclamation, the Electric Mon- 
arch shot up toward 'he star-sprinkled sky at an 
angle that almost se t Reuben into hysterics. 

"Hey, stop this flying threshing machine," he 
yelled, "lemme out! Lemme " 

Tom placed a hand over the frightened farm 
hand's mouth. 

"You want to get to Portstown, don't you?" 

"Yer — yer — yes, sir." 


252 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

'‘Well, you’re going there by the air-line ex- 
press. Now be quiet. Heiny, for goodness sake, 
cook us up some supper, and look lively about it, 
— v/e’re almost famished.” 

The next morning will be one long remembered 
in Portstown. Early rising citizens saw, swoop- 
ing down from the skies, a vast aerial craft 
manned by a crew of youths anxiously looking 
over the side to descry the best landing place. 
They had arrived above the town shortly before 
daylight but Jack had decided to cruise about till 
the light grew stronger, not wishing to risk a 
landing in the dark. He adopted, in fact, the 
same tactics that the captain of a vessel about 
to enter a strange port would employ. 

By the time the Electric Monarch swooped 
down into the twenty-acre park in which the fair 
was to be held, there was a crowd of several hun- 
dred people in the streets clamoring about the en- 
tirance to the fenced grounds. The Electric Mon- 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEROPLANE 253 
arch was actually a fact, a circumstance which 
was astonishing to a good many of the Portstown 
folks who had thought that Captain SprowPs 
flowery advertisement was a good deal in the na- 
ture of an exaggeration. But now they had seen, 
with their own eyes, the most wonderful craft 
of its kind in existence, and the whole town was 
wild with excitement and curiosity. 

Early as the hour was. Captain Sprowl, who 
had been on the lookout for the boys, soon came 
dashing into the grounds in a runabout automo- 
bile. He extended them a hearty welcome and 
showed them where they would be quartered dur- 
ing the carnival, that is, if they wished to camp 
on the grounds. The boys unanimously voted in 
favor of the camping proposal. They decided 
that it would be much more fun than stopping at 
a hotel. 

They accompanied the captain to the hotel for 
breakfast, however, a big crowd following them 
through the streets, much to the boys’ embarrass- 


254 


THE BOY INVENTOES’ 


ment. The captain, however, gloried in the noto- 
riety. 

'Ht shows what good advertising will do,'' he 
said, glowing with pride, as he escorted his young 
charges through the streets. Reuben did not ac- 
company them. He had gone out to find his 
brother-in-law. In the meantime the captain, at 
the boys' solicitation, had promised to get him a 
job on the fair grounds if he did not find employ- 
ment at anything else, an offer which Reuben sub- 
sequently accepted. 

Breakfast was a merry meal, and the boys had 
much to tell of their experiences on the trip. 
After they had finished, they returned to the fair 
grounds and were shown round by the captain. 
Several of the aviators who were to take part in 
the carnival had already arrived and erected 
their tents with gay festoons of bunting floating 
over them. 

The boys were much disappointed, however, to 
learn that an air craft they had been most aiix- 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLAXE 255 
ious to see was not yet on the grounds. This was 
the celebrated Sky Eagle, a big dirigible, equipped 
with wireless and one of the first aerial craft to 
be so fitted. The captain told them that the 
dirigible was on the way, however, and was ex- 
pected ere long on the grounds. 

‘'Have you been notified by them, then T’ asked 
Jack, rather puzzled as to how the captain could 
have such information. • 

“Yes, they sent us a message by wireless not 
long since that they expected to arrive to-day.'' 

“Then there is a wireless plant in the town?" 
asked Tom, somewhat surprised. 

“There's one right on the grounds," rejoined 
the captain, “it's one of the exhibits. See the 
aerials over yonder?" 

Sure enough, in one corner of the grounds the 
spider-like strands of a vertical aerial mast could 
be seen leading into a hut about which a small 
crowd was clustered. The captain explained that 
the operator of the plant was even then trying to 


256 


THE BOY INVENTORS^ 


locate the Sky Eagle. He had hardly finished ex- 
plaining this when a boy came rushing out of the 
wireless hut in hot haste. 

^^There’s a messenger now. Maybe he’s look- 
ing for me !” cried the captain. ''Hey, boy !” 

The boy turned and came running toward 
them. 

"I was just looking for you, Captain,” he said. 
"Hutchings, the operator, wants to see you.” 

"News from the Sky Eagle?” asked the cap- 
tain. 

"I don’t know, but he said it was important.” 

The boys hurried after the captain to the wire- 
less hut. Inside they found Hutchings, the oper- 
ator, greatly excited. 

"Bad news for you. Captain,” he said, holding 
out a yellow sheet of paper, "a message from the 
Sky Eagle. She is disabled and drifting out to 
sea.” 

"By the trident of Neptune!” exclaimed the 
captain, scanning the message, "this is bad.” 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 257 
He read the message aloud : 

''On Board Sky Eagle. — ^We are disabled. 
Drifting out to sea off Scatiute. Send help. — 
Jennings, operator/' 


258 


THE BOY INVENTOES^ 


CHAPTER XXVIIL 
A dirigibbd in danger. 

^ Where is Scatiute?'’ asked Jack. 

^^About twenty miles south of here/' responded 
the captain. Then turning to the operator he 
asked, “Have you tried to get in communication 
with the Sky Eagle again ?" 

“Yes, sir, but with no success. Looks as if her 
wireless had gone out of business. That message 
came in more than an hour ago. We've been 
looking all over for you." 

“Great guns, boys, this is serious !" exclaimed 
the captain in an agitated voice. “Who knows 
what may have happened to those poor fellows! 
I must try to get hold of them, somehow. But 
just how I don't know." 

“There’s Alvin's dirigible on the grounds," 
suggested the operator. “Maybe he'd go." 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 259 

'TH try him/' declared the captain. ''It’s in 
the cause of common humanity. I should think 
he’d go.” 

But Lester Alvin, the owner of the Cloud 
Scooter, declared he had not enough gasolene to 
make the trip. Two other dirigible operators 
were appealed to, but both of them had excuses 
of one sort or another to offer. The captain has- 
tened back to the wireless hut where he had left 
the boys. 

"Any news yet ?” he asked anxiously of Hutch- 
ings the operator. 

Hutchings shook his head. 

"I can’t get in touch with them at all,” he said. 
"I can’t even raise a station that’s seen them 
passing over.” 

The captain passed a bewildered hand across 
his forehead. 

"What under the heavens are we to do?” he 
said. "I’ve appealed to those dirigible fellows in 
vain. They’ve all got one excuse or another to 


260 THE BOY INVENTOES’ 

offer. I guess, though, the main trouble with 

them is 'cold feet,’ to put it into plain English.” 

"And in the meantime those poor fellows on 
the Sky Eagle may be drifting helplessly over 
the ocean,” said Jack. 

"Yes, and the worst of it is that their wireless 
appears to be out of order. If that was working 
they could summon help from some ship. But as 
it is ” 

The captain broke off despairingly. He gazed 
up at the sky as if seeking inspiration there and 
then down at the ground. But he remained as 
perplexed as before. 

In the meantime Jack and his companions had 
been holding an eager consultation. As the cap- 
tain turned to Hutchings for the twentieth time 
with a demand to know if he had heard anything 
yet. Jack stepped forward. 

"Captain,” he said, "I guess that we can help 
you out.” 

"What do you mean, boy?” 


ELECTEIC HYDROAEEOPLANE 261 

‘'That we will go out on a hunt for the Sky 
Eagle/’ 

The captain looked dumfounded. Then he 
gave a vigorous shake of the head. 

“No, my boy, I couldn’t allow that.” 

“Why not? We have ” 

“I wouldn’t be responsible for sending you boys 
on such a voyage.” 

“There would be no real danger. We have a 
capable ship. We know how to handle her. She 
is as good on the water as on land.” 

“I know all that. Jack, but what would your 
father say?” 

“That it is our duty to go to the aid of those 
poor fellows on the Sky Eagle.” 

The captain scratched his head in bewilder- 
ment. 

“I don’t know what to say,” he said hesitat- 
ingly, at length. 

Just then Hutchings interrupted. 


262 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

“Hold on, here’s a message coming now,” he 
said. 

“Ah ! That’s the Sky Eagle,” said the captain. 
“We worried ourselves unnecessarily, after all.” 

But it was not the Sky Eagle that was wireless- 
ing. The captain’s rejoicing had been premature. 
Hutchings held up his hand to enjoin silence. 

Then as the dots and dashes came out of space 
into the watch-case receivers at his ears he read 
off the message as it came. 

“Scatiute Wireless Station. — Big dirigible seen 
drifting east. Making signals of distress. Do 
you know anything about her?” 

“Great guns!” puffed the captain. “Just as I 
thought, she’s drifting out to sea sure enough. 
Raise ’em at Scatiute, Hutchings. Ask ’em what 
appears to be the matter with her.” 

Hutchings applied himself to his key and in 
a few minutes he had this answer. 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEEOPLANE 263 • 

'Impossible to tell what is trouble. Appears 
to be in gas bag but not sure. Should send help, 
if possible.'' 

'‘That settles it!" cried Jack, "we’ll go after 
her." 

"I ought to say no, but somehow, all I can say 
is 'Go ahead, my boys, and good luck' !" cried the 
captain, clasping the boy's hand. 

No time was to be lost and the boys hastened 
from the wireless office to where the Electric 
Monarch stood surrounded by an admiring 
crowd. There was great excitement as the boys 
were seen climbing on board. People came run- 
ning from all parts of the grounds for, early as 
the hour was, there was still quite a small crowd 
scattered about inspecting the various air craft. 

"What is it?" "Are they going to make a 
flight?" 

These and a hundred other questions were 
bandied about from mouth to mouth. The boys 
worked like beavers and it was evident even to 


264 THE BOY lYVENTORS’ 

the dullest-witted onlooker that there was some- 
thing unusual in the wind. 

In ten minutes everything was ready. At the 
last moment Jack had requested a coil of good 
strong rope, which was loaned to him by one of 
the dirigible men. When this had been taken on 
board all was ready for the start. The boy took 
his place in the pilot house and the others as- 
sumed their stations. Ned oiled up the motor 
and Tom saw that the stern propeller bearings 
were in good working order. 

‘'Good-bye and good luck!'' hailed the captain 
as Jack's hand sought the starting switch. 

At that moment, and just as the first impulses 
of the motor throbbed through the frame of the 
Electric Monarch, there was a sudden motion in 
the crowd. 

“Lemme through!" bawled a voice, which Ned 
Nevins recognized with a start. It was Hank 
Nevins, his ne'er-do-well cousin. Close at Hank's 
heels came Miles Sharkey. The two elbowed 


ELECTEIC HYDROAEKOPLANE 


265 


their way through the crowds followed by a thick- 
set man who bore the unmistakable stamp of an 
officer of the law. Miles Sharkey was waving a 
paper above his head. 

^‘Hold on!^’ he bawled at the top of his voice, 
''don’t let that craft go up!” 

"Why not?” yelled Captain Sprowl, his face 
purple. 

"This officer will explain,” cried Hank, "we got 
a conjunction.” 

"Injunction,” he means, explained Miles, the 
law sharp, with a grin. "WeVe got an injunc- 
tion prohibiting those boys from handling the 
Electric Monarch.” 

The captain stood aghast. The boys on the 
Electric Monarch could not catch just what was 
going on but they knew that the controversy con- 
cerned them. 

"On what grounds did you obtain this injunc- 
tion?” demanded the captain, controlling himself 
with difficulty. 


266 THE BOY lYYEYTORS’ 

''On the grounds that this craft belongs to 
Hank Nevins here. It was built from plans left 
to him by his father/’ cried Miles. 

“How do you know they were left to him?” 

“We have found a will. It was only discov- 
ered a few days ago after that young thief on 
board the Monarch there had appropriated the 
plans himself.” 

“Is this right, officer?” demanded the confused 
captain in a bewildered way. “I ain’t much of a 
hand at the law myself.” 

“It’s right, all right,” said the officer stolidly. 
''They’ve got an injunction restraining this craft 
from flying, — that’s the law.” 

“He! he! he!” chuckled Hank. “This is the 
time I’ve fixed my smart young cousin. There 
was a will, after all.” 

Jack was becoming impatient. From the pilot 
house he shouted down to the captain: 

“Shall we go ahead?” 

The captain was about to reply in the negative. 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEROPLANE 26 ? 
explaining that the law must be complied with, 
when Hank shoved rudely against the old sea- 
man, almost pushing him over. 

‘'Lemme by,'' he snarled. “I'll attend to this !" 

It was then that the vials of the captain's wrath 
boiled over. 

“You young limb!" he bellowed. “D'ye think 
I'll sacrifice human life for a thousand injunc- 
tions? Go ahead, boys!" 

There was a roar and shout, and the Electric 
Monarch jumped forward. The crowd scattered 
right and left. Hank and Miles leaped after the 
craft. The wind from the propellers caught the 
former and hurled him to the ground. 

“Stop 'em !" bellowed Miles, and then he turned 
furiously on the officer. “Why don't you stop 
'em, you — you muttonhead ?" 

“Keep a civil tongue in you, young feller," 
warned the officer. “There's no power on earth'll 
stop 'em now. That injunction will have to^wait." 


268 


THE BOY lYVENTOES’ 


A mighty cheer from the crowd drowned 
luiles’s furious reply. 

The Electric Monarch had taken the air in a 
graceful, sweeping slant. The powerful craft 
was off on an errand of life or death. 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEEOPLANE 


269 


CHAPTER XXIX. 

A DARING rescue:. 

Entirely unconscious of the fact that they were 
law breakers, the boys’ hearts beat high with the 
love of adventure as the Electric Monarch soared 
above Portstown, saluted by scores of whistles, 
and dashed off south in the direction of Scatiute. 

The lads had been in many surprising adven- 
tures, but they had never encountered such a 
crisis as the present one. Somewhere out above 
the ocean, the glimmer of which they could catch 
to the eastward, was drifting a crippled dirigible 
with three men on board. It was their task to 
find that craft and rescue the men. 

The captain had confided to Jack the names of 
the men, and so, when Ned put the question to 
him a short time after the start he was able to 
inform him. 


270 THE BOY lYVEYTORS’ 

'‘The owner of the Sky Eagle is Mr. Holmes 
Morse of New York/' he said; “with him, acting 
as engineer, is a man named Tyler and the opera- 
tor is named Jennings." 

“Tyler!" exclaimed Ned, as if the name struck 
a key in his memory. “It is odd, but that was the 
name of one of my uncle’s closest friends. He 
was an engineer who took up aerial work. I 
wonder if it could be the same." 

“It might be. But Tyler is a very common 
name." 

“To be sure, but the coincidence in the names 
and occupations struck me." 

“By the way, talking of that, didn’t I hear you 
say that in the crowd that gathered about us be- 
fore we started, you saw your rascally cousin. 
Hank?" 

“I did," rejoined Ned, “but what in the world 
he could have been doing here I can’t imagine. 
Miles Sharkey was with him, too. I’ll bet they 
were up to some mischief." 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEEOPLANE 


271 


''Connected with the Electric Alonarch?’' 

"Naturally; what else would they have been 
doing in Portstown/’ 

"But how could they have known that we were 
there?’’ 

"I suppose they read that advertisement of the 
captain’s. He said he had it put in every paper of 
any prominence.” 

"I guess that’s it. It was plain enough that 
they were kicking up some sort of a rumpus just 
as we were leaving.” 

"So it looked to me. They were waving some 
sort of a paper.” 

"Well, it isn’t our funeral. The captain gave 
us the word to go, and that’s all we’ve got to do 
with it. I’d give a good deal to know, though, 
just what they were trying to do.” 

Perhaps it was just as well for Ned that he did 
not know. The knowledge that the Electric Mon- 
arch was not his any longer but had been legally 
left to his cousin would have made him absolutely 


272 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

miserable, for his whole being was wrapped up 
in the craft. 

^'Keep a bright lookout for the lighthouse at 
Scatiute, Ned — we ought to be sighting it at al- 
most any moment now.’’ 

'I’m watching for it,” rejoined Ned, as he went 
back to the motor platform to oil the bearings. 

Not more than ten minutes later Jack’s sharp 
eyes caught sight of a white finger pointing up- 
ward to the sky at the extremity of a rocky point. 
He guessed that this must be Scatiute. The 
Electric Monarch had been skirting the coast, but 
as they swung by the lighthouse. Jack headed her 
straight out to sea. 

Then began a period of tension that was to en- 
dure for several hours. Below them lay the glit- 
tering sea, calm and heaving gently, and flashing 
in the bright sunlight. But from even that 
height, with the extended horizon the elevation 
gave them, none of the watchers on the Electric 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 273 
Monarch could detect any sign of the craft they 
had come in search of. 

As hour after hour went by without a sign of 
her, Jack’s heart began to sink. What if they 
were too late — if the Sky Eagle had sunk, carry- 
ing with her, into the depths of the sea, her un- 
fortunate crew? 

The thought was a serious one, and Jack, with 
a sober, thoughtful face speeded up the Electric 
Monarch a trifle so as to lose no time in case the 
Sky Eagle was yet above the surface of the sea. 

There was but little wind, but what there was, 
was off shore, so that the Sky Eagle must have 
drifted seaward very rapidly. Her occupants 
would naturally have kept as much gas as possi- 
ble in the bag in order to keep her above the 
waves. In such a case the drift would have been 
even more rapid than if the bag had been par- 
tially deflated. 

Suddenly Joyce’s deep bass voice came boom- 
ing from the forward lookout, from which posi- 


274 : THE BOY lYVEYTOES^ 

tion he had been scanning the sea with binocu- 
lars. 

'‘There's something dead ahead of us !" 

Instantly the Electric Monarch fairly vibrated 
excitement. Ned hastened into the pilot house to 
Jack's side. He found the young skipper with the 
binoculars at his eyes. 

"Can you make out what it is ?" he asked. 

"I'm not quite certain, yet. Whatever it is, it 
appears to be almost floating on the sea. It may 
be a small craft, and- the floating effect may be 
caused by a refraction of the light or it may be 


"The Sky Eagle!" Ned finished for him. 

The next moment Joyce's voice came thrilling 
through the speaking tube from the foreward 
lookout. 

"It's a balloon ! She's almost in the sea !" 

Simultaneously Jack had descried what the dis- 
tant object was. "The balloon" as Joyce called it 
was, without doubt, the Sky Eagle. But the 


ELECTEIC HYDROAEROPLANE 275 
dirigible was perilously near to the water. In 
fact she appeared to be almost touching the sur- 
face. Would they be in time ? 

'‘Hold tight!’' warned Jack. "I’m going to let 
her out every notch.” 

With a deep whirring roar the propellers be- 
gan to beat the air faster. As they churned the 
atmosphere at fifteen hundred revolutions a min- 
ute, the Electric Monarch responded nobly to the 
powerful impulse. She was making faster speed 
than ever before. The hand of the indicator 
crept up and up. 

" Fifty — fifty-five — sixty — sixty-five — seven- 
ty!” 

"Seventy miles an hour!” gasped Ned. "Will 
she hold together ?” 

"She’s got to,” said Jack grimly, as he grasped 
the spokes of his- wheel more firmly. At that 
speed the "pull” of the rudder was terrific. He 
only hoped that it would not be dragged out of 
its fastenings. 

The Electric Monarch’s frame creaked and 


276 


THE BOY IXVENTOES’ 


complained, and every brace and wire in her 
structure hummed a separate song as they cut 
through the air. Luckily, the wind was with 
them, or the craft, strong as she was, might not 
have endured the cruel strain. 

Every second brought them closer to the 
stranded and disabled dirigible. They could see 
the unfortunate craft quite plainly now. She 
lay with a shriveled and collapsed gas bag almost 
on the surface of the waves. A jagged rent in 
one side showed what had brought her down into 
such perilous proximity to the waves. 

From time to time, so close was she to the 
water, a larger wave than usual would lap up 
against the under part of the craft's structure, 
and drench the men marooned on board the sink- 
ing dirigible. 

''Only just in time !" exclaimed Jack, as he ma- 
nipulated his descending levers, cut down the 
power and landed in the water not twenty yards 
from the sinking Sky Eagle, with skill that re- 
sulted in hardly a splash. 


ELEOTKIC HYDEOAEROPLANE 


277 


CHAPTER XXX. 

A STRANGER ME:ETING. 

The work of rescue was not easily accom- 
plished. The boys did not dare attach a rope to 
the dirigible as there was a chance that the craft 
would sink at any moment. But by good luck the 
occupants of the craft had on board a plank 
which they used in climbing in and out of the air- 
ship’s substructure. 

This came in useful now. Under Jack’s direc- 
tion the plank was extended between the two 
craft and one by one the luckless voyagers of the 
Sky Eagle were transferred to the Electric Mon- 
arch. Great was their wonderment at the sur- 
prising craft that had effected their rescue when 
they had given up all hope. 

Greater still was their gratitude to the brave 
lads who, at the risk of their lives, had followed 


278 THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

the ocean air-lanes in search of the missing diri- 
gible. 

'We owe our lives to you, lads. I do not know 
how I can ever thank you,"’' declared Mr. Morse, 
the owner of the craft. 

In the meantime Henry Tyler, the machinist 
and engineer of the Sky Eagle, had been staring 
at Ned Nevins with an amazement that was akin 
to unbelief. 

"Surely you are Ned, Jeptha Nevins's 
nephew?"" he exclaimed at length. 

"Yes, and you are Henry Tyler, his dearest 
friend!"" replied Ned, as the two warmly shook 
hands. 

"So it was the same Tyler after all,"" smiled 
Jack, after they had all been introduced. 

"It certainly is a small world,"" declared Mr. 
Morse smilingly. "So this is the lad whose uncle 
designed this wonderful craft and left him the 
plans of it! My boy, you have a legacy worth 
more than a great deal of money."" 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEEOPLANE 279 

^We think so at any rate/' said Ned, smiling at 
his chums. 

‘'But where in the world have you been hiding 
yourself?" asked Henry Tyler of Ned Nevins as 
they prepared to get under way, having trans- 
ferred a few instruments, and so forth, from the 
Sky Eagle. 

“Why, have you been looking for me?" asked 
Ned in some surprise. 

“Yes, for weeks. But I could obtain no clew 
to your whereabouts. No one in Millville ap- 
peared to know what had become of you." 

“I have been at Nestorville with my two good 
friends. Jack Chadwick and Tom Jesson. Had it 
not been for them the Electric Monarch would 
never have been built," said Ned, gratefully. 

“I wanted to deliver to you a package left in 
my care by your uncle not long before he died," 
said Tyler. “He charged me to give it to you 
after his death, which, it seemed, he felt was 
not far off. I have kept it with me always, hop- 


280 THE BOY INVENTORS^ 

ing some time to meet you and now I can at last 
deliver it into the hands 6f its rightful owner/' 
Ned, with some wonderment, took from Tyler's 
hands a long yellow envelope. He had no time to 
open it just then, for Jack ordered all hands to 
their posts for the return voyage. They had 
hardly risen into the air before the Sky Eagle 
was seen to settle down upon the water with a 
sliding motion. 

Suddenly she gave a swoop downward and the 
next instant the sea had hidden her from view. 

^'Good-bye, old ship," said Mr. Morse, with 
some emotion, '^may you rest well" 

Such was the requiem of the Sky Eagle. As 
to the manner in which she had become disabled, 
Mr. Morse explained to the boys that the heat of 
the sun had burst the bag and that following that 
disaster the engines had broken down. Helpless, 
and with the gas leaking from the momentarily 
■enlarging rent, the Sky Eagle drifted rapidly out 


to sea. 


ELECTPJC HYDROAEROPLANE 281* 
Death stared the voyagers in the face, and they 
had prepared to meet their fate as calmly as possi- 
ble when, upon the horizon, they descried, wing- 
ing her way toward them, the form of the Elec- 
tric Monarch. Mr. Morse declared that words 
could not describe their emotions as they sighted 
the outlines of the rescue ship. 

The run back to the shore was made without 
incident. The boys flew straight for the Fair 
Grounds, where they were received with what 
resembled an ovation. Word of their gallant 
voyage of rescue had leaked out, and the town 
went wild over them. They surged about the 
Electric Monarch as she landed and fairly 
mobbed the boys. Cheers rang out deafeningly, 
and the band played, at the direction of Captain 
Sprowl, ''Hail to the Chief,'’ that being the most 
appropriate tune the old captain could think of. 

It was in the midst of all this excitement that 
a stoutly built, red- faced man came elbowing 
through the crowd that surrounded the boys 


282 THE BOY I^^yEYTQRS' 

and made his way to where they stood in a blush- 
ing, embarrassed group. 

''Which of you is Ned Nevins?'' he demanded. 

"Right here,'’ said Ned, stepping forward. 
"What do you want?" 

"You must come with me," was the response. 

"But why? I " 

"Young man, you are under arrest," and the 
red-faced man threw back his coat and disclosed 
a star. 

"Under arrest!" echoed Ned. "What for?" 

"For disobeying an injunction of the court. 


Come with me." 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 


283 


CHAPTER XXXI. 

NKD COMES INTO HIS OWN. 

Ned's dismay may be imagined. He was 
taken straight to the magistrate's courtroom 
where the charge against him was heard. In the 
meantime, Captain Sprowl had engaged a lawyer 
for him, and the courtroom was thronged when 
Ned's case was called. His lawyer cautioned Ned 
to let him do all the talking and the boy, feeling 
very nervous and ill at ease before the battery 
of eyes aimed in his direction, sat silent while the 
attorney explained to the court the circumstances 
of the case. 

The magistrate heard him out and agreed with 
him that it seemed a hardship that the boy should 
be held for disobeying an injunction in order to 
save lives, but he declared that he had no powers 
in the matter, as the injunction had been issued 


284 


THE BOY INVENTORS’ 


by the higher court. It would be for that court 
to decide in the matter, and that therefore he 
had no choice but to hold Ned in bonds of $2,000 
for contempt of court. Poor Ned turned pale 
when he heard this, but the lawyer hastily assured 
him that it meant nothing, and was merely a for- 
mality. 

'Tve got the money right here bellowed Cap- 
tain Sprowl from the rear of the courtroom, 
flourishing a bundle of bills like a madman. 

^'Order in the court!’' shouted the bailiffs fran- 
tically, for the captain’s actions had caused a 
storm of applause. 

The next day Ned’s case came up before the 
court which had issued the injunction. Hank and 
Miles Sharkey, with greedy, triumphant faces, sat 
in front seats to witness the lad’s discomfiture. 
Ned, seeing their eyes fixed on him, held himself 
together bravely. In his eyes there was an almost 
excited light. However, he appeared to be await- 
ing some sort of a climax. 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 285 

As for the other boys, they were openly shak- 
ing hands in the back of the courtroom and slap- 
ping each other on the back. Captain Sprowl 
bore a wide grin and Ned’s lawyer looked well 
pleased. 

Hank and Miles noted these signs of satisfac- 
tion, and they began to grow uneasy. This un- 
easiness increased to positive alarm when Ned’s 
lawyer, instead of opening the proceeding in the 
usual way, asked to see a copy of the will, on the 
strength of which the injunction had been 
granted. 

''Um-er-er, this is an unusual proceeding, may 
it please your honor,” stammered Miles, who, not 
anticipating anything but plain sailing, had de- 
cided to save a lawyer’s fee and act as his own 
attorney. 

But the court overruled him and Miles was 
compelled to produce what purported to be the 
last will and testament of Jeptha Nevins, de- 
ceased, in which he left, ''all papers, plans, prints 


286 THE BOY IHVEYTOBS’ 

and designs of my inventions whatsoever to my 

beloved son, Henry Nevins/’ 

your honor pleases, may I examine that 
will?'^ asked Ned’s lawyer. 

The court bowed its assent. Miles, with trem- 
bling hands, passed the paper over to the attor- 
ney. Hank rose to his feet and tried to tip-toe 
out, but he was stopped by a bailiff who told him 
that he had orders not to let witnesses in the case 
out of the courtroom. Miserable and dejected. 
Hank slipped back into his seat. His face was 
pasty white and his knees shook. But he did not 
look a whit more wretched and abject than Miles 
Sharkey, who nervously fingered his face and 
drummed on the table alternately, while Ned’s 
lawyer scanned the will Miles had handed him. 

The lawyer finally ceased his examination of 
the paper, and then clearing his throat solemnly, 
he said : 

^'Acting for the defendant in this case I pro- 
nounce this will a forgery.” There was a buzz 


ELECTEIC HYDROAEROPLANE 287 
of excitement through the courtroom. Miles 
tried to speak, but words would not come from 
his dry lips. Hank looked ghastly and sank back 
in his seat in a wilted, crumpled heap. 

'"And furthermore,'’ relentlessly proceeded the 
attorney, 'Sve have a genuine will antedating this 
spurious one. If your honor will give me permis- 
sion I will produce it." 

Forthwith he placed in evidence the will of 
Jeptha Nevins by which he left specifically to Ned 
the plans of the Electric Monarch and the pro- 
ceeds of his other inventions. (The will had been 
contained in the envelope which Henry Tyler had 
handed to Ned on board the Electric Monarch 
the day before.) 

'We can prove that this is the genuine signa- 
ture of Jeptha Nevins and that the other is a base 
forgery," continued the attorney, "and I would 
ask your honor to make out a commitment for 
Miles Sharkey on the charge of forgery in the 


288 


THE BOY INVENTORS’ 


first degree and to hold Henry Nevins on a charge 
of aiding and abetting the same/’ 

‘T didn’t aid nor abet nothin’,” shrieked out 
Hank despairingly, ''it was Miles done it all, your 
honor.” 

"Shut up, you fool,” hissed Miles, but it was 
too late. Hank had let the cat out of the bag with 
a vengeance. The commitments were made out 
and in due course of time both Miles and Hank 
paid the penalty of their rascality in the form of 
prison sentences. Hank, however, received a 
light punishment, as it was clear that Miles Shar- 
key, who had hoped to reap big profits from the 
Mellville concern, had been the ring leader in the 
plot. 

We have no space here to relate how the Elec- 
tric Monarch acquitted herself at the big aero 
carnival. But suffice it to say that she won every 
event for which she was entered, and at the con- 
clusion of the meet Ned was approached by the 
representative of an aero-craft manufacturing 


ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE 289 
concern with an offer to build ships of the Elec- 
tric Monarch type, paying him a handsome bonus 
and a royalty. 

On their return to High Towers, the boys 
found Prof. Chadwick very much better, almost 
in his usual health, in fact, although Dr. Good- 
enough laughingly said that he was ‘'booked for 
a long vacation.'' 

One day, not long after their return to their 
home, which, by the way, was now also Ned Kev- 
ins', the gentleman who had tried to make nego- 
tiations with Ned at the carnival paid a visit to 
High Towers to try to close a deal with the young 
inventor. 

Professor Chadwick and Dr. Goodenough were 
called into consultation, and after a long confer- 
ence, it was decided that it would be to Ned's 
advantage to accept the firm's offer, more espe- 
cially as he would, under their terms, retain an 
interest in the Electric Monarch type of hydro- 
aeroplane. 


290 THE BOY INVENTOES^ 

When these arrangements had been concluded, 
Professor Chadwick reached into a drawer of his 
desk, at which he was seated, in order to produce 
blotting paper to sign the contracts. But as he 
opened the drawer he suddenly paused, turned 
deathly pale, and pressed his hand to his fore- 
head. 

'‘What is the matter, are you ill?'’ cried the 
doctor in a concerned voice. 

The boys, full of anxiety and alarm, repeated 
the question. But Professor Chadwick waved 
them aside. 

"No, not ill," he exclaimed in a strange voice. 
"W ait — wait ! It is coming back to me now !" 

He pressed a spring in his desk, and a secret 
drawer flew open. As it did so, they all uttered a 
shout of astonishment. 

It contained the long-missing plans ! 

The mystery was soon explained. The Pro- 
fessor's memory had come back to him with a 
rush when he opened the drawer for the blotting 


ELECTEIC HYDEOAEEOPLAXE 291 
paper. On the day of the trial trip of the Elec- 
tric Monarch, it will be recalled, he had been left 
behind. After the boys' departure, (as it came 
back to him, he had begun to feel uneasy about 
the plans, secure though they seemed to be in the 
safe. 

He decided to find a better hiding place than 
the safe even, for them, and with that object in 
view arose from the lounge and opened the recep- 
tacle. Taking out the papers, he placed them in 
the secret drawer of the desk. Hardly had he 
done so, however, when an attack of vertigo 
seized him and he fell unconscious. Now that his 
memory had come back suddenly, as he seated 
himself once more at the desk, all became clear. 

And so the mystery of the vanished plans was 
cleared up with satisfaction to all of them. After 
all, they had wrongfully suspected Hank and his 
allies, and they were glad to learn that their sus- 
picions had been unfounded. 

There is little more to tell. Heiny Dill finally 


292 


THE BOY INVENTOES’ 
evolved a burglar trap out of his invention, but 
he makes more money working for the Boy In- 
ventors at High Towers than he does out of his 
numerous eccentric contrivances. Sam Hinkley 
returned to Nestorville not long after his inva- 
sion of New York, and after he had begged for 
forgiveness, his father finally gave him the post 
of night clerk in the hotel, which he fills admir- 
ably. Of the fate of Hank and Miles we are al- 
ready informed. 

And so, with Ned Nevins prosperous and 
happy, and the Boy Inventors broadened and im- 
proved by their experiences with the Electric 
Monarch, we will, for the present, leave them 
with the best of wishes for their future undertak- 
ings. Knowing them to be always on the alert 
for the latest developments in scientific progress, 
we are not greatly surprised to learn that their 
next experimental experiences will be described 
in a volume entitled, ‘'The Boy Inventors’ Radio 
Telephone.” 


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We find among the jolly (boys at 
Queen’s School, Frank, the student-athlete, 
Jimmy, the baseball enthusiast, and 
Lewis, the unconsciously-funny youth 
who furnishes comedy for every page 
that bears his name. Fall and winter 
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teanas are expertly described. 


Frank Armstrong's Second Term 


The gymnasium, the track and the field make the back- 

f round for the stirring events of this volume, in which David, 
immy, Lewis, the “Wee One” and the “Codfish” figure, while 
Frank “saves the day.” 


Frank Armstrong, Drop Kicker 

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Exciting contests, unexpected emergencies, interesting incid- 
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OAKDALi: ACADEMY SERIES 

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By MORGAN SCOTT. 

Cloth Bound. Illustrated. 

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Under peculiarly trying circum 
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BOYS OF OAKDALE 

ACADEMYr 

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Ben Stone, and this story shows how he proved the truth 
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contrary. 

RIVAL PBTCHEBS OF OAKDALE. 

Baseball is the main theme of this interesting narrative, 
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members of the teams who played them. The Oakdale 
Boys were ambitious and loyal, and some were even dis- 
gruntled and jealous, but earnest, persistent work won out.' 
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The t3^pical vacation is the one that means much free- 
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THE GREAT OAKDALE MYSTERY. 

The “Sleuth” scents a mystery! He “follows his nose.” 
The plot thickens! He makes deductions. There are 
surprises for the reader — and for the “Sleuth,” as well. ? 
NEW BOYS AT OAKDALE. 

A new element creeps into Oakdale with another year’s 
registration of students. The old and the new standards* 
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sweeping changes in the lives of several of the boys. 

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NEW BOOKS ON THE WAR 

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\ TU'O 
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u/ith th« 

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MAJOR SHERMAN CKOCKETT 



Two American Boys with the Allied Armies 

Two American Boys in the French War 
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Two American Boys with the Dardanelles 
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EKDORSED BY BOYt SCOUT ORGANIZATIONS 

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BOY SCOUTS OF THE EAGLE 
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In this story, self-reliance and self-de- 
fense through organized athletics are 
emphasized. 

BOY SCOUTS ON THE RANGE 

Cow-punchers, Indians, the Arizona 
desert and the Harkness ranch figure in 
this tale of the Boy Scouts. 

BOY SCOUTS AND THE ARMY 
AIRSHIP 

The cleverness of one of the Scouts as 
an amateur inventor and the intrigues of 
his enemies to secure his inventions make 
a subject of breathless interest. 

BOY SCOUTS* MOUNTAIN CAMP 


Just so often as the reader draws a relieved breath at the 
escape of the Scouts from imminent danger, he loses it again 
in the Instinctive impression, which he shares with the boys, of 
impending peril. 


BOY SCOUTS FOR UNCLE SAM 

Patriotism is a vital principle in 
but few there are who nave suen an 
expression as comes to the members 


Eagle 


BOY SCOUTS AT THE PANAMA CANAL 

Most timely is this authentic story of the “great ditch.** It is 
illustrated by photographs of the Canal in process of Building. 


BOY SCOUTS UNDER FIRE IN MEXICO 

Another tale appropriate to the unsettled conditions of the pres- 
ent is this account of recent conflict. 


BOY SCOUTS ON BELGIAN BATTLEFIELDS 

Wonderfully interesting is the story of Belgium as it figures in 
this tale of the Great War. 

BOY SCOUTS WITH THE ALLIES IN FRANCE 

On the firing line — or very near — we find the Scouts in France. 

BOY SCOUTS at THE PANAMA-PACIFIC EXPOSITION 

If you couldn’t attend the Exposition yourself, you can go even 
now in imagination with the Boy Scouts. 

BOY SCOUTS UNDER SEALED ORDERS 

Here the Boy Scouts have a secret mission to perform for the 
Government. What is the nature of it? Keen boys will find that 
out by reading the book. IPs a dandy story. 

BOY SCOUTS’ CAMPAIGN FOR PREPAREDNESS 

Just as the Scouts* motto is “Be Prepared,” Just for these rea- 
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and how they do it makes a volume well worth reading. 

You do not have to be a Boy Scout to enjoy these fascinating 
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MOTOR CYCLE SERIES 

■> By LIEUT. HOWARD PAYSON 

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The Motor Cycle Chums 
Around the World 

Could Jules Verne have dreamed of en- 
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emergencies, he would have deemed it 
an achievement greater than any he de- 
scribes in his account of the amusing 
travels of Philias Fogg. This, however, is 
the purpose successfully carried out by 
the Motor Cycle Chums, and the tale of 
their mishaps, hindrances and delays is 
one of intense interest, secret amuse- 
ment, and incidental information to the 
reader. 

The Motor Cycle Chums of 
the Northwest Patrol 

The Crent Northwest is a section of 
vast possibilities and in it the Motor 
Cycle Chums meet adventures even more unusual and exciting 
than many of their experiences on their tour around the world. 
There is not a dull page in this lively narrative of clever boys 
and their attendant “Chinee.” 

The Motor Cycle Chums in the Gold Fields 

How the Jlotor Cycle Chums were caught by the lure of the gold 
and into what difficulties and novel experiences they were led, 
makes a tale of thrilling interest. 

The Motor Cycle Churns^ Whirlwind Tour 

To right a wrong is the mission that leads the Riding Rovers 
over the border into Mexico and gives the Impulse to this story 
of amusing adventures and exciting episodes. 

The Motor Cycle Chums South of the 
Equator 

New customs, strange peoples and unfamiliar surroundings add 
fresh zest to the interest of the Motor Cycle Chums in trav^, and 
the tour described in this volume is full of the tropical atmos- 
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The Motor Cycle Chums through Historic 
America 

The Motor Cycle Chums explore the paths where American his- 
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BOY INVENTORS^ SERIES 

»i By RICHARD BONNER 

Illustrated. 



The Boy Inventors* Wire^ 
less Triumph 

Blest with natural curiosity, — some- 
times called the instinct of investigation, 
—favored with golden opportunity, and 
gifted with creative ability, the Boy In- 
ventors meet emergencies and contrive 
mechanical wonders that interest and 
convince the reader because they always 
“work” when put to the test. 


The Boy Inventors and the 
Vanishing Gun 

A thought, a belief, an experiment; dis- 
couragement, hope, effort and final suc- 
cess. This too is the history of the dar- 
ing Boy Inventors. 


The Boy Inventors* Diving Torpedo Boat 

As in the previous stories of the Boy Inventors, new and in- 
teresting triumphs of mechanisms are produced which become 
immediately valuable, and the stage for their proving and test- 
ing is again the water. On the surface and below it, the boys 
have jolly, contagious fun. 

The Boy Inventors* Flying Ship 

A Boston newspaper reporter, — a young fellow W'ith a camera 
slung over his shoulders, — wanders into this story at the very 
beginning. He finds himself an aerial stowaway and finally a 
part of a South American exploring party. How this happens 
IS an absorbing tale in itself. 


The Boy Inventors* Electric Hydroaeroplane 

The restless, inventive spirit of Jack Chadwick and the per- 
sistent enthusiasm of his cousin, Tom Jesson, once more clamor 
for a new expression, and this book describes the unique result 
of their labors and the use to which it is opportunely put. 

The Boy Inventors* Radio Telephone 

The determination to adopt, adapt and improve the latest 
means of communication gave a fresh impulse to the ambition 
of the Boy Inventors. 

Watch boys, and you wdll notice their minds naturally turn to 
mechanism. In these delightful stories, the boys try their 
genius in new inventions. Read the books and see what they 
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DREADNOUGHT BOYS SERIES 

10] TALES OF THE NEW NAVY 


By CAPT. WILBUR LAWTON 


Cloth. Illustrated. 



The Dreadnought Boys on 
Battle Practice 

Especially interesting and timely is 
this nook which introduces the reader 
with its heroes, Ned and Here, to the 
great ships of modern warfare and to 
the intimate life and surprising adven- 
tures of Uncle Sam’s sailors. 

The Dreadnought Boys 
Aboard a Destroyer 

In this story real dangers threaten 
and the boys* patriotism is tested in a 
peculiar international tangle. The 
scene is laid on the South American 
coast. 


The Dreadnought Boys on a Submarine 

To the inventive genius — trade-school boy or mechanic — ^this 
story has special charm, perhaps, but to every reader its my- 
stery and clever action are fascinating. 

The Dreadnought Boys on Aero Service 

Among the volunteers accepted for Aero Service are Ned and 
Here. Their perilous adventures are not confined to the air, how- 
ever, although they make daring and notable flights in the name 
of the Government; nor are they always able to fly beyond the 
reach of their old “enemies,” who are also airmen. 


The Dreadnought Boys* World Cruise 

From San Francisco the boys start on their world cruise. At 
Hawaii, Japan, Egypt and Gibraltar they meet experiences unfor- 
seen and eventful. 


The Dreadnought Boys in Home Waters 

Into mimic naval warfare creeps actual intrigue that compli- 
cates the defense of New York Harbor. 


It would be hard work to find a boy — young or old — who is 
not keenly alive to the achievements of our great Navy. You 
can get a good conception of what Uncle Sam is doing by reading 
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BOY AVIATORS SERIES 

11] Thrilling Airship Stories 

By CAPTAIN WILBUR LAV/TON 

Cloth Bound. Illustrated. 

THE BOY AVIATORS IN NICAo 
RAGUA 

“Boys of all ages ■will be captivated by 
this clever story of two bright American 
lads who in an aeroplane of unusual con- 
struction have many adventures in Nica- 
ragua.” 

THE BOY AVIATORS ON SECRET 
SERVICE 

“Its heroes go in an airship to the 
Ev'erglades of Florida, and use their 
wireless telegraph to assist in the rescue 
of a Government inventor. Japanese spies 
are plotting against them, and the result 
is a thrill in every chapter.” 

THE BOY AVIATORS IN AFRICA 

“In this book the lads go to Africa in 
their flying machine and strike an aerial 
ivory trail. Adventures come thick and fast. One cannot help 
wishing himself fourteen years old once more, to take this book 
out back on the barn, or under the pear tree, to enjoy it in fashion.” 

THE BOY AVIATORS’ TREASURE QUEST 

“The author takes the boys on a quest after the golden galleon, 
lost in a position w'here it is imaginatively possible to obtain the 
treasure. The story is one of the keenest interest from the boy 
standpoint.” 

THE BOY AVIATORS IN RECORD FLIGHT 

“The story deals with aerial contests for a big prize offered by 
newspapers to fly from New York across the continent and the 
hairbreadth escapes encountered.” 

THE BOY AVIATORS* POLAR DASH 

“The useful information concerning the Antarctic regions, and 
the aviation features and their technical correctness, set the book 
apart from those of simple entertainment and adventure.” 

— The Dallas News, Dallas, Texas, 

THE BOY AVIATORS* FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 

“The volume is packed with incidents from cover to cover, and 
conveys an accurate idea of modern aeroplanes.” 

THE BOY AVIATOIS WITH THE AIR RAIDERS 

In view of the world-wide interest in practical aviation, this 
book is especially thrilling and timely. It pertains to the Great 
European War. 

Up-to-the-minute AIRSHIP Books which record the most thril- 
ling experiences any daring aviator could wish for. The Stories 
are written by a famous aviation instructor and are teshnicallg 
correct in details. One million copies have been sold. 



HURST & COMPANY, Publishers, NEW YORK 


HUFfJfT & COMPANY’S BOOKS FOR YOUNO PEOPLE 


OCEAN WIRELESS SERIES 

By CAPT. WILBUR LAWTON 

12 ] 

Cloth Bound. Illustrated. 


The Ocean Wireless Boys 
on the Atlantic 

How a Brooklyn boy became a wireless 
operator and shared in the work of res- 
cue on the sea makes a thrilling tale. 

The Ocean Wireless Boys 
and the Lost Liner 

This book takes the young wireless 
operators into southern waters and 
through grave perils. 

The Ocean Wireless Boys of the Iceberg 
Patrol 

The sinking of the Titanic emphasized the usefulness of the 
W'ireless in the iceberg zones described in this volume. 

The Ocean Wireless Boys and the Naval 
Code 

Combine warships and wireless, danger, intrigue, and daring 
and you have an exciting tale of the sea. 

The Ocean Wireless Boys on the Pacific 

Just as fascinating, thrilling and interesting as any of the 
proceeding volumes. Plenty of action for red-blooded boys. 

• 

The tragedies of the seas became les» dreadful with the intro- 
duction of the wireless aboard steamships and it is to be hoped 
ultimately that the “ocean grave-yard’* will be a thing of the 
past. These volumes describe daring and exciting tales. 



ar. OCEAN 
WfRELES5 

^CfiSont^e 

ATLANTIC 

CAPTWILBUR LAWTON 


LIURST COMPANY, Publishers. NEW YORK 


HURST & COMPANY’S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 


BORDER BOYS SERIES 

MEXICAN AND CANADIAN FRONTIER SERIES 

13 ] By FREMONT B. DEERING 

Cloth Bound. Illustrated. 

THE BORDER BOYS ON THE 
TRAIL 

\\Tiat it meant to make an enemy of 
Black Ramon De Barrios — that is the 
problem that Jack Merrill and his 
friends, including Coyote Pete, face in 
this exciting tale. 

THE BORDER BOYS ACROSS 
THE FRONTIER 

Read of the Haunted Mesa and its my- 
steries of the Subterranean River and its 
strange uses, of the value of gasolene and 
steam “in running the gauntlet,” and you 
will feel that not even the ancient splend- 
ors of the Old World cap furnish a bet- 
ter setting for romantic action than the 
Border of the New. 

THE BORDER BOYS WITH THE MEXICAN RANGERS 

As every day is making history — faster, it is said, than ever 
before — so books that keep pace with the changes are full of 
rapid action and accurate facts. This book deals with lively 
times on the Mexican border. 

THE BORDER BOYS WITH THE TEXAS RANGERS 

The Border Boys have already had much excitement and 
adventure in their lives, but all this has served to prepare them 
for the experiences related in this volume. They are stronger, 
braver and more resourceful than ever, and the exigencies of 
their life in connection with the Texas Rangers demand all their 
trained ability. 

THE BORDER BOYS IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 

On mountain trails beside mountain canyons the Border Boys 
wend their adventurous way, led by Mountain Jim, a rare type of 
“guide, philosopher and friend.” The solving of a mountain my- 
stery lends added interest to their tour of exploration. 

THE BORDER BOYS ALONG THE ST. LAWRENCE 

The swift waters of the St. Lawrence River make a good set- 
ting for this tale of adventure, for its turnings and twistings and 
windings are as unexpected and surprising as the treacherous 
spots in the river itself. 

Life on the border is a fascination; these frontier stories 
abound with incidents, with plenty of excitement and adven- 
ture mixed in. Good, wholesome books for the up-to-the- 
minute boy. 





HURST & COMPANY, Publishers, NEW YORK 



HURST & COMPANY’S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 


MOTOR RANGERS SERIES 

HIGH SPEED MOTOR STORIES 

By MARVIN WEST 

Illustrated. 

The Motor Rangers* Lost 


This is an absorbing story of the con- 
tinuous adventures of a motor car in 
the hands of Nat Trevor and his friends. 

The Motor Rangers 
Through the Sierras 

Enemies in ambush and the guarding 
of treasure make exciting times for the 
Motor Rangers — yet there is a strong 
flavor of fun and freedom, with a 
typical Western mountaineer for spice. 

The Motor Rangers on Blue Water 

The strange adventures of the sturdy craft “Nomad” and the 
stranger experiences of the Rangers themselves from the basis of 
this well-spun yarn of the sea. 

The Motor Rangers* Cloud Cruiser 

From the “Nomad” to the “Discoverer,” from the sea to the 
sky, the scene changes in which the Motor Rangers figure. 

The Motor Rangers* Wireless Station 

The “Nomad” again figures largely in this story of the Motor 
Rangers, and its adventures begin in response to a wireless call 
for help. 

The Motor Rangers Touring for the Trophy 

Keen rivalry between a number of motor cars in a long-dis- 
tance race gives rise to a series of experiences, laughable, serious 
and exciting. 

The Motor Rangers are “on the go” all the time; never a dull 
minute when you are with them. They spin along into new 
climes and encounter strange experiences. High speed books 
which boys will enjoy. 



The Motor Cycle 
Chums 

Around theWorld 

Lieutenant Hoiof dPayMt 



HURST & COMPANY, Publishers, NEW YORK 


HURST & COMPANY’S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 


BUNGALOW BOYS SERIES 

..1 By DEXTER J. FORRESTER 

Illustrated. 

The Bungalow Boys 

How the Bungalow Boys received their 
title and how they retained the right to 
It in spite of much opposition makes a 
lively narrative of lively boys. 

The Bungalow Boys IMa^ 
rooned in the Tropics 

A real treasure hunt of the most thrill- 
ing kind makes a subject of intense in- 
terest at any time, ‘but add to that a 
band of desperate men, a dark plot and a 
devil-fish, and you have the combina- 
tion that brings strange adventures. 

The Bungalow Boys in the Great North West 

The clever assistance of a young detective saves the boys from 
the clutches of Chinese smugglers, of whose nefarious trade they 
know too much. 

The Bungalow Boys on the Great Lakes 

The Bungalow Boys start for a quiet cruise on the Great 
Lakes and a visit to an island. A storm and a band of wreck- 
ers interfere with the serenity of their trip, and a submarine 
adds zest and adventure to it. 

The Bungalow Boys Along the Yukon 

Into a wild country on a dangerous quest the Bungalow Boys 
go next, their uncle and his partner in charge of the enter- 
prise to which they are pledged. 

The Bungalow Boys North of Fifty-Three 

This volume continues the strangely interesting adventures of 
the boys in Alaska. A vivid picture of tlie land in the grip of 
winter is given. 

If you want real live-wire books of adventure, the “Bunga- 
low Boys” stories will fill the bill. They are snappy, clever and 
overflowing with thrilling incidents and experiences. You will 
like these books. 



HURST & COMPANY, Publishers, NEW YORK 


Mirthfnl Books TVorth Reading! 

9eek'§ 

of Mumcr 

No author has achieved 
a greater national reputa- 
tion for books of genuine 
humor and mirth than George W. Peck, 
author of “ Peck’s Bad Boy and His Pa.” 

We are fortunate to be able to offer, 
within everyone’s reach, three of his latest 
books. The titles are 

Peck's Uncle Ike, Peck's Sunbeams, 
Peck's Red^Headed Boy. 

CLOTH Bindingr. 

PAPER Binding. 

By failing to procure any one of these 
books you lose an opportunity to laugh 
and grow fat.” When you get one you 
will order the others. 

Send for our Illustrated Catalogue of Books. 

HURST & CO., Publishers, 395-399 Broadway, New York. 




r 



Just Issued at a 
Popular Price 


Hans 

BrinRer 

or 


TTlie Silver Slsates 

by 

MARY MAPES UOUGE 

q^HIS charming story, depicting life in 
Holland, is now published for the first 
^ time at popular prices. Whether you have 
been to “The Land of the Dykes’" or not, 
you will want to read this famous book. 

We make a handsome cloth bound edition 
^ of it, which we will mail anywhere, post- 
paid. 


Ask us to mail you our complete catalogue 


HURST & CO., Publishers, NEW YORK 




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